Sous-Vide Egg with Red Wine Sauce & Wild Mushroom Panzanella
Sous Vide Supreme recruited me to develop a few recipes and sent over a water bath and a vacuum sealer to my home. If you’re thinking of experimenting with the cooking of the future, they have the perfect solutions for the home cook. They sent me the equipment for free but my opinions are my own of course, and they’re not paying me to say how much I love them. Now we’ve got the full disclosure thing out of the way, let’s get cooking.
The inspiration for this recipe is Oeufs en meurette — a typically Burgundian dish. It’s a delicious combination of soft poached egg, red wine sauce and lardon which in my opinion is the greatest brunch dish, ever. Too bad nobody knows about it. I updated the recipe for the 21th century, replaced the lardons by sauteed chicken liver, and added a wild mushroom panzanella. The biggest change in this dish is of course the egg itself, and the way it’s cooked. Sous-Vide cooking allows you to control temperatures by half degree increments which gives you a lot of control over deliciousness. Chefs and scientists have been experimenting with Sous-Vide for a long time and everybody seem to agree that if you cook eggs in the water bath at 147’F (64C) for 45 minutes you’ll get the silkiest, creamiest egg you ever had. The yolk literally turns into custard.
Needless to say, use the highest quality eggs you can find or afford. I used Americauna eggs which comes from a breed of chickens that lays colorful eggs ranging from pink to blue. They’re groovy and they’re delicious. Amazing.
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Sous-Vide Egg with Red Wine Sauce & Wild Mushroom Panzanella
- Serves 4
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For the sous-vide eggs:
- 8 organic eggs
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For the red wine sauce:
- 1/2 carrot, chopped
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 2 cups Burgundy red wine
- 1 cup veal or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon flour
- salt and pepper to taste
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For the wild mushroom panzanella:
- 8 ounces chicken livers (optional)
- 1/2 lb assorted wild mushrooms, cleaned
- a drop of cognac (optional)
- 1 crusty country bread
- olive oil
- good vinegar
- butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- baby spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped parsley
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For the sous-vide eggs:
- Preheat water bath to 147’F (64’C). When temperature is reached drop the whole eggs in the water and set the timer to 45 min.
- When done, remove from the water bath. Let the eggs rest for 2 min. Crack the shell and slide the eggs onto the plates.
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For the red wine sauce:
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat add a little oil, the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 8 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, and reduce the liquid by 2/3 or until it coats the back of a spoon. Meanwhile, mix the soft butter and flour in a small bowl. Strain the sauce and season with salt and pepper and whisk in slowly the butter/ flour to thicken the sauce and give it a nice shiny look. Keep warm.
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For the wild mushroom panzanella:
- If using chicken liver, sautee them over high heat until cooked. Season generously with salt and pepper and deglaze the pan with Cognac. Chop roughly and set aside.
- Cut the bread into large croutons, toss them with melted butter, salt and pepper ,and toast in a pan or oven until golden.
- Sauteed the mushroom in olive oil and a touch of butter until cooked, season with salt and pepper, add the shallots and garlic until fragrant. Finish with parsley. Keep warm.
- Dress the baby spinach with a olive oil and a little vinegar.Toss the mushrooms, croutons, chicken livers, vinegar and parsley in a bowl. Season if necessary.
- Place 2 eggs on each plate. Garnish with spinach, wild mushroom panzanella, and the warm red wine sauce.
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