Ingredients
- 1 qt wine
- thyme
- bayleaf
- clove of garlic
- 6 eggs
- 5 oz lean bacon
- 8 tbs butter
- ¼ lb large mushrooms
- 5 oz small white onions
- 1 slices soft bread
- pinch of flour
- garlic (optional)
Preparation
Step 1
Pour the wine (it should be young and of good quality) into a saucepan with a sprig of thyme, a bayleaf, and a clove of garlic. Bring to the boil.
The eggs must be very fresh, so that the white will solidify immediately on contact with the liquid. Break the shell of the egg, open it just above the wine, just at the spot where the boiling bubbles are rising (there are also practical utensils available for poaching eggs). When you have broken all the eggs into the wine, bring it to a lively simmer and let the eggs poach from 3 to 3½ minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, dip them into cold water to halt the cooking process; then trim off any untidy edges of white with scissors. Keep them to one side in warm salted water.
Reduce the wine very quickly. Meanwhile cut the bacon into small pieces and blanch them in boiling water; then sauté them in some of the butter over high heat.
Cut the mushrooms into quarters and sauté them in the same pan. Brown the onions in more of the butter in a separate pan.
Cut the three slices of bread into triangular halves and fry them in butter.
Arrange the triangles of fried bread on a warm dish with a poached egg on top of each. Strain the reduced wine, thicken it with a little flour; then add the bacon pieces, the mushrooms, and the onions. Pour this sauce, making sure it is still very hot, over the eggs.
Note: The pieces of fried bread may be lightly rubbed with garlic.