3 WAYS WITH Eggs

Look at any cookbook from the 1950s, ’60s and even ’70s and you’ll find it full of egg recipes. Soufflés, omelettes and eggs Mornay were part of most home cooks’ repertoires – or at the very least those of their housekeeper. And wine was part of it – witness Elizabeth David’s famous quote from An Omelette and a Glass of Wine: ‘Although there are those who maintain wine and egg dishes don’t go together I must say I do regard a glass or two of wine as not, obviously, essential but at least as an enormous enhancement of the enjoyment of a well-cooked omelette.’ Her own choice with a cheese omelette was an Alsace ‘Traminer’, by which I imagine she meant Gewurztraminer (a bit over the top, I’d have said), or a Meursault (rather more satisfying, though I’d go for a more modest white Burgundy or Alsace Pinot Blanc myself). Anyway, it doesn’t have to be white wine, as you can see.

SHAKSHUKA

This spicy North African dish of eggs baked with onions, tomatoes and peppers always seems to me more a supper than a lunch or breakfast dish and as such deserves a decent glass of red. I’d go for a savoury Côtes du Rhône for preference rather than anything too ripe or jammy.

EGGS BENEDICT

We’re most likely talking brunch here, in which case a sparkling wine such as Champagne or English sparkling wine is an excellent choice (as it is for scrambled eggs and smoked salmon). Personally, I like a blanc de blancs as I’m looking for creaminess rather than toastiness. Elizabeth David’s suggestion of Meursault goes well with eggs benedict, too (it’s the hollandaise).

OEUFS EN MEURETTE

This Burgundian dish of eggs poached in a rich red wine (Burgundy, obviously) sauce with shallots, mushrooms and bacon is traditionally served with a basic Bourgogne rouge, but it’s a good foil for a finer cru, if you’ve a mind to drink one, and works equally well with a Beaujolais.