Steak au Poivre

By John, 11 November, 2022
Region
France
Description

Steak au Poivre is awesome and awful - you really need to know what you are signing up for.

Steak with cracked pepper can be a fine combination if you keep everything in balance. This classic French recipe does just that. Rather than burn the aromatic pepper by searing it with the steak, you cook the steak properly and then dress it with a peppercorn cream sauce.

Some recipes call for crusting the steak with crushed peppercorns and then grilling it or searing it on a hot griddle. That's a bad idea. The best flavor of pepper comes from the volatile oils that provide that peppery zing. But exposing volatile oils to a screaming hot griddle burns them into smoke leaving only charred pepper-husks. Try it yourself and see. Then try this recipe.

Note: Black pepper is no friend to wine. Green and pink peppercorns work better, but they're not awesome. In my opinion, this recipe is best with no wine, but some fine cognac works wonders...   

Yield
1 Servings
Preparation time
5 minutes
Cooking time
10 minutes
Total time
15 minutes
Ingredients
1 T Olive oil
1 beefsteak (at room temperature)
2 T Dry Vermouth
2 T Shallots (sliced, optional)
1 T green peppercorns (crushed in a mortar)
2 T Cognac
1⁄4 c Heavy Cream
1 T Butter (Unsalted) (to finish)
Instructions
  1. Heat a sauté pan to quite hot.
  2. Rub the steak with oil and sear it in the pan however you like it.
  3. When the steak is done, set it aside to rest while you make the sauce. Reduce the heat to moderate.
  4. Deglaze the pan with the vermouth. If you want the shallot, add it now and let it wilt in the vermouth.
  5. Add the peppercorns and the cognac to the pan.
  6. Stir in the cream and reduce for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.
  7. Finish with the last bit of butter and serve hot with the steak.
Notes

Some classic recipes use reduced beef stock or demi-glace instead of or with the cream. It's delicious, if you have it.

Source

Traditional