- 1/2 cup chopped shallots
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 large parsley sprig
- 1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
- 1 (1/4-pound) piece slab bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch sticks (lardons)
- 2/3 cup veal demi-glace or 2 tablespoons demi-glace concentrate plus 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 8 (1/2-inch-thick) baguette slices
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 8 large eggs
- 1/2 pound frisée, trimmed and torn into pieces (4 cups)
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Cook shallots in 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine, garlic, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and boil until reduced to about 1 cup, 25 to 40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
- Meanwhile, cook lardons in a small heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned but not crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Strain wine mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. Return to saucepan, then stir in veal demi-glace and bring to a simmer.
- Stir together flour and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to make a beurre manié, then whisk into sauce and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Add half of lardons to sauce and keep warm off heat, covered. Wrap remaining lardons in foil and keep warm on rack in lower third of oven.
- Brush baguette slices with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toast in upper third of oven until pale golden and crisp, about 10 minutes. Rub garlic on toasts.
- Meanwhile, fill a deep large skillet with 1 1/4 inches water, then add vinegar and bring to a simmer. Break 1 egg into a cup and slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining eggs, spacing them apart, and poach at a bare simmer until whites are firm but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Toss frisée with vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then with oil, and divide among 4 plates.
- Lift each egg out of poaching liquid with a slotted spatula and gently pat dry (still on spatula), then transfer to a toast. Season eggs lightly with salt and pepper and divide among salads. Pour sauce over eggs and sprinkle salads with remaining lardons.