Steak au Poivre is a charred steak dish served with a heavy cream based sauce made with shallots and a mixed variety of crushed peppercorns.
Steak au Poivre is a simple yet elegant dish that is usually paired with a Bordeaux wine.
Our family ate this dish with a 2021 Château Giscours from the Margaux region of Bordeaux. (Photo below)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
-2 (1/2 pound) rib eye steaks that will be cut in half
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 large shallot, peeled and minced
-3 tablespoons mixed peppercorns, crushed
-2 ounces cognac (2 shot glasses)
-2 tablespoons salted butter
-3/4 cup heavy cream used to make whipping cream
Steps:
1-Brown steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side depending on the doneness desired.
2-Remove steak from the pan and keep warm. Place time on 10 minutes for steak to rest before cutting it in half.
3-Add minced shallots to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes. Add crushed peppercorns to the pan and sauté for 1 minute.
4-Add cognac to the pan. Heat cognac for 1 minute. Remove pan from the stove. Ignite cognac and gently swirl till the flames die down.
5-Place pan back on heat. Add butter and heavy cream. Stir until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (It is ok to hold sauce while the steak is resting for 10 minutes.)
6-Cut the steak in half and serve the au poivre sauce over them.
Serving Suggestion: Florence Paget served the steak au poivre with mashed potatoes and homemade Yorkshire pudding.
Step-by-step photos follow:
Et Voilaà! Bon Appétit!
Photos and Text by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
