Steak au Poivre Made by Florence Paget posted by Ruth Paget

Steak au Poivre Made by Florence Paget by Ruth Paget 

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

Yorkshire Pudding Made by Florence Paget Posted by Ruth Paget

Yorkshire Pudding Made by Florence Paget Posted by Ruth Paget 

Florence Paget is connecting with her English ancestors with this recipe for Yorkshire Pudding. We eat ours with steak and mashed potatoes. (Step-by-Step Photos Below) 

For 6 People 

Ingredients:

-1 cup flour 

-3 eggs 

-1 cup milk 

-2 teaspoons iodized salt  

-1 cm of olive oil each for 12-cup cupcake pan (To heat separately from batter) 

Steps: 

1-Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 

2-Place 12-cup cupcake tray in oven with 1 cm of olive oil in each cup. Heat for 10 - 15 minutes. 

3-Mix flour, eggs, milk, and salt together with a whisk to form a homogenous batter with a nice yellow sheen. 

4-When the 10 - 15 minutes of oil heating are done, take out the tray. Fill each cupcake mold 2/3 full with butter. (Oil will bubble up through the batter.) 

5-Bake the batter for 25 minutes. (The eggs will make the pudding increase to 3 times the size of the batter.)

The photos below illustrate the steps to make this delicious and easy baked good:

 

 

 

The Yorkshire Pudding was airy and perfect for spooning au poivre sauce into as a savory dessert for me.

I almost feel these baked goods are magic for how they poof up with a minimum of ingredients.

Photos and text By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Snacking on French Montelimar Nougat at The Market in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget

French Montélimar Nougat at the Market in Pebble Beach, California by Ruth Paget 

During a stop to buy coffee at The Market at Pebble Beach, California, my husband Laurent found Carlier nougat from Montélimar, France on sale. 

Laurent naturally bought some to bring back memories of chewing Montélimar nougat while crawling through holiday traffic jams outside Lyon, France highway tollbooths. 

All the freeways in southern France eventually lead to Lyon and its bouchon, meaning simultaneously wine cork, traffic jam, and Lyonnais bistros in general that are famous for offal (variety meat) tarts and Beaujolais as the house wine. 

To put off the bouchon, drivers buy bags of Montélimar nougat for themselves and all children on board outside Lyon at Montélimar. 

Nougat without anything added to it is a mix of hot sugar and honey that you add whipped egg whites to. Next you fold in sliced nuts and/or candied fruits. Carlier nougat features sliced almonds and pistachios. 

Once all the nougat ingredients are mixed together, it is allowed to cool before being sliced into chewy pieces that can be packaged like the Carlier brand we bought at Pebble Beach. (Picture below) 

To add a little treat to you coffee order at The Market at Pebble Beach, California, you might want to try the Carlier nougat to give your coffee break a slice of French lifestyle on the Pacific Ocean. 

Note: The Pebble Beach Market sells Peerless Coffee and Tea Products from Oakland, California.

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Fish and Seafood as Tourism by Ruth Paget

Maine and New England in general promote lobster, clam bakes, fish, and clam chowder as tourism in winter.

The Central Coast can do this sustainably thanks to efforts of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Personally, I like Italian seafood dishes for using a moderate amount of shellfish with pasta or in a stew and stretching ocean resources while tasting phenomenally good.

Of course, seafood tastes best in cold and rainy weather.  

Bon Appetit!

By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soip with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Possible use for two empty buildings by casino posted by Ruth Paget

Possible use for two empty buildings by the casino in Salinas, California posted by Ruth Paget

-souvenir shop selling puréed vegetable soup from Monterey County organic vegetables - locals and tourists alike can buy these - a French strategy for selling regional products

-day old bread could be sold here from the town’s many bakeries to centralize a pick-up spot for this item that can be used to make bread crumbs for gratins or whole to make strata casseroles as well.  This would free up space in bakeries for new products.  Ready made, frozen strata could be sold and thermal bags for tourists who drive.

Both buildings have small parking lots for limited time parking.  A garage is across the street.

Just some economic development thoughts.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

Possible Use for Junkyard Cars: 5G Towers posted by Ruth Paget

Could car bodies of junkyard cars be re-smelted to make 5G towers?

Each state would have raw material to get these built, if this is true.

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

UChicago’s New Professors and Their Work

The list of new professors at the University of Chicago is out.  I always like reading this for books to read. 

One book that looks particularly interesting is Shigehito Oishi’s Life in Three Dimensions about building a psychologically rich life at any age.  

The list of new professors at the University of Chicago follows:

https://news.uchicago.edu/story/32-uchicago-faculty-members-receive-named-distinguished-service-professorships-2026?utm_source=WWW&utm_medium=NewsModule

Posted by Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France