Steak au Poivre has always been one of my favorite ways to enjoy a good steak — rich, peppery, and perfectly indulgent. Making the sauce is half the fun: it's always a little exciting (and a bit dramatic) to ignite the pan and watch the sauce flambé.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons port
- ¼ cup cognac
- 3 tablespoons glace de viande (meat glaze)
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon green peppercorns in brine, drained
- 1 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
After cooking your steak in a cast-iron pan, pour off the excess fat, leaving any browned bits behind.
Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the pan and whisk in the chopped shallot. Let the pan cool slightly, then add the port and cognac to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits. Carefully tilt the pan to ignite the alcohol fumes, allowing the flames to burn off as the liquid reduces.
Once the flames have subsided, stir in the glace de viande, heavy cream, and green peppercorns. Simmer and reduce the sauce until it thickens to the consistency of heavy cream.
Remove from heat and swirl in the remaining 1 ounce of butter until the sauce is glossy and smooth.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately over steak.