drizzleanddip

This is a classic Ouefs en Meurette recipe and is quite possibly the most delicious way to eat a poached egg.

I first heard of this dish via a friend on Twitter and was instantly intrigued. To say I am mildly obsessed with poached eggs would be an understatement. Poaching them in a rich red wine sauce with bacon and beautiful aromatics takes the whole experience to another level.

I had the opportunity to taste this dish which was beautifully prepared at The Red Leaf restaurant on Beyerskloof Wine Estate in Stellenbosch recently. We did a three vintage vertical tasting of their Diesel Pinotage, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and listening to wine maker Beyers Truter talk about the subtle nuances in the wine brought about by climate variances from year to year was inspiring. This is a man that produces wine in the vineyard and is completely connected to the relationship mother nature plays in the process. From the temperature at specific times of the grapes life, to the amount of wind and level of rain, these all have a dramatic effect on the finished product.

No wonder his Pinotage is legendary.

The lunch was a sumptuous and delectable feast of comforting French fare, including the eggs poached in Pinotage, Coq au Vin, a leek vinaigrette and selection of home made bread to soak up any left over juices. I cant wait to go back and try the Pinotage burger enjoyed against stunning vineyard and mountain vistas.

This is quite a ‘cheffy’ dish to make, but so well worth every minute of the effort to do, and the perfect opportunity to practice poaching eggs. Just follow this short and informative video on how to poach an egg on the Woolworths Pantry website.  Simply make the whirlpool in the red wine sauce and 3 – 4 minutes later you will feel like  a masterchef.

Recipe on Drizzle and Dip

For all the pictures of this lunch at Beyerskloof, visit my Facebook page.