Steak au Poivre

Steak au Poivre is a French dish in which steak is crusted in peppercorns and served with a Cognac cream sauce

If you have ever had the opportunity to try Steak au Poivre, you will already know that it is a rich, well balanced and elegant dish

In truth though, it really isn’t all that difficult to create at home

Here I’m using 4 beautiful boneless strip steaks I bought from my local butcher

Sprinkle these generously with kosher salt

Next we will need 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons of black peppercorns, roughly crushed with a mortar and pestle

Place the pepper on a plate and firmly press the steaks into the pepper on both sides

Let the steaks sit out and come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking

Preheat your oven to 350 F

In an oven proof pan heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Once the butter is lightly browned and the pan is starting to smoke lay in the steaks and sear for at least 5 minutes to develop a crust

Flip and place into the oven

Cook another 6-8 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest section reads 140 F for medium

Remove the steaks and set aside to rest at least 10 minutes before serving

For the sauce we will need 3/4 cups of Cognac, 1 cup of heavy cream, 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of Gravy Master

Drain off some of the fat from the pan being careful not to lose the beef juices that will help with the sauce

Now let’s discuss flambe

Basically it is a french method of adding alcohol to a pan and alighting it briefly

This cooks the actual alcohol off faster and is exciting to see

That being said, we are still talking about flammable liquids and fire, so use caution

When I flambe, I remove the pan from the stove top and place it on a counter with no obstructions near or above the pan

Add the Cognac to the pan

Step back and using a long lighter, ignite the Cognac

Swirl the pan around to burn off the alcohol faster

Once the flames are gone place the pan back on the stove over medium heat and add in the mustard and Gravy Master and stir to incorporate

Next add in the cream and stir as well

Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 6-8 minutes allowing the sauce to thicken

Season to taste

Serve the steak covered in the delicious Cognac sauce!

Enjoy!!!

Tool used to make this recipe

Simply Bamboo Cutting Board

OXO Good Grips Fish Turner

Wilton Recipe Right 3 Piece Cookie Pan Set

Lodge Cast Iron Pan

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