Steak Au Poivre

Steak Au Poivre

Steak au poivre has to be one of the most delectable ways to enjoy a good piece of meat.  Actually it’s not all about the meat here as the steal almost plays second fiddle to the cracked peppercorns and silky cognac perfumed pan sauce.

Damn I love steak au poivre.

There aren’t many dishes around that are this impressive with such little effort expended by the cook.  I mean it.  How hard is it to throw a piece of steak into a screaming hot pan to give it a good sear before swirling around a few ingredients to make a pan sauce? 

It truly doesn’t get any easier. 

If you’re cooking for someone that you really want to impress, make them steak au poivre and just wait for the compliments to come rolling in.

Steak Au Poivre

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 10 min

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 2 rib steaks (10 oz each)
• 1 tbsp peppercorns (coarsely cracked)
• sea salt (to taste)
• 2 tbsp butter (divided 1 tbsp & 1 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
• ¼ cup cognac
• ¼ cup beef stock
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• ¼ cup heavy cream

Video Tutorial: 

Instructions

1. Heavily season each side of both steaks with salt and coarsely cracked black peppercorns.  
2. Preheat a cast iron skillet to a high heat then add a tablespoon of oil and a tablespoon of butter then immediately add the steaks to the pan. 
3. Sear for about 2-3 minutes on the first side or until you have a dark golden crust then flip them over and cook them for an additional 2 minutes on the second side before removing the steaks onto a plate to rest while you make the sauce.
4. In the same pan you seared the steak, remove most of the grease then add a tablespoon of butter and the shallots then saute for a few minutes until they’re wilted and translucent.
5. Add about the cognac and reduce the liquid by half which will take about a minute or two then the Dijon mustard and stir it into the other ingredients.
6. Stir in the beef stock and let it reduce for a minute then stir in ¼ cup of heavy cream and stir continuously until the sauce just starts to thicken. 
7. Add the steaks back to the pan and let them reheat for about a minute or so as the sauce continues to thicken and the dish is ready to serve.