Steak au poivre (pepper steak) is a dinner recipe of French origin. This French dish uses a steak, usually filet mignon, coated with cracked peppercorns and then cooked. The peppercorns form an outer crust on the steak when cooked and gives an aromatic but complementary counterpoint to the rich taste of the beef. The peppercorn crust is made by laying the steak in a bed of cracked black (or mixed) peppercorns. In most cases, the steak is seared in a hot skillet with butter and olive oil to cook it. This dinner recipe calls for searing at very high temperature to quickly cook the outside and form the crust. The high temperature cooking also allows the interior to be left rare to medium rare. The steak is rested for several minutes before being served.
Steak au poivre is usually accompanied by a sauce made from heavy cream, reduced cognac, and the fond formed at the bottom of the pan. This dinner recipe often includes other ingredients such as butter, shallots, and Dijon mustard. Common side dishes served with steak au poivre are different variants of mashed potatoes, and deep fried small shoestring potato. Steak au poivre is a dinner recipe often found in traditional French restaurants in most urban areas.
Steak Au Poivre Dinner Recipe
• 4 pieces of tenderloin steaks, each steak should be about 6 to 8 ounces and should be no more than 1 1/2 inches thick
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons of whole peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1/3 cup of Cognac
• 1 cup of heavy cream
Directions:
The first step in this dinner recipe is to allow the steaks to thaw for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Sprinkle both sides of each steak with Kosher salt.
Coarsely crush the peppercorns with mortar and pestle. If unavailable the bottom of a cast iron skillet or a mallet will do. Spread the crushed peppercorns evenly on a plate. Press both sides of the fillet into the pepper until the entire surface is coated. Set aside.
In a medium skillet melt the butter over medium heat and add the olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil turn golden and starts to smoke. Gently lay the pieces of steaks in the pan. For a medium-rare finish, cook the steak for 4 minutes on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, cover with foil and set aside. Remove excess fat but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.
Turn off the heat, add 1/3 cup Cognac to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match. Carefully shake the pan until the flame dies out. Return pan to medium heat and add the heavy cream. Bring mixture to a boil and gently whisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, this takes approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add a teaspoon of Cognac and season with salt. Put the steaks back to the pan, spoon the sauce over the steak, and serve. One of the simplest dinner recipe you can serve to love ones.
This article was written by Alexis.
Tags: dinner recipe, steak au poivre