Steak Au Poivre
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Recipe courtesy of Freakin' Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better than Everyone Else by Clinton Kelly.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
16-ounce strip steak cut in two pieces
Salt
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced
¼ cup cognac
½ cup heavy cream
Instructions:
The peppercorns in steak au poivre should be very coarsely crushed. You can do this with a mortar and pestle or by placing them on a hard surface and pressing down on them with a heavy skillet.
Salt the steaks. Then press the steaks – both sides – into the cracked peppercorns.
In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. When the skillet gets very hot, add the steaks and cook for about 2 minutes. (You want a nice brown color on the meat.) Turn the steaks over and cook for another 2 minutes. At this point, your steaks will be rare to medium-rare. Don't overcook them. It's always easier to throw a steak back in a pan for a few minutes than to convert shoe leather back into something edible.
Once the steaks reach the desired doneness, remove them and place on a plate, lightly covered with aluminum foil. This will keep them warm, but the steaks will also continue cooking a little – all the reason not to overcook them in the first place.
To the pan, add the minced shallots and stir to scrape any delicious bits that have stuck to the bottom.
Now, here comes the fire!
Remove the pan from the stove and add the Cognac. You have two choices: 1. You can ignite the Cognac with a long matchstick; or 2. Return the pan to the stove, keeping your face away from it, and tilt it so that the flame from the stove ignites the Cognac vapors.
When the flames die, add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir for another 5 minutes or so, until the sauce thickens. Add the steaks back to the pan, coat with sauce, and serve.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
16-ounce strip steak cut in two pieces
Salt
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced
¼ cup cognac
½ cup heavy cream
Instructions:
The peppercorns in steak au poivre should be very coarsely crushed. You can do this with a mortar and pestle or by placing them on a hard surface and pressing down on them with a heavy skillet.
Salt the steaks. Then press the steaks – both sides – into the cracked peppercorns.
In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. When the skillet gets very hot, add the steaks and cook for about 2 minutes. (You want a nice brown color on the meat.) Turn the steaks over and cook for another 2 minutes. At this point, your steaks will be rare to medium-rare. Don't overcook them. It's always easier to throw a steak back in a pan for a few minutes than to convert shoe leather back into something edible.
Once the steaks reach the desired doneness, remove them and place on a plate, lightly covered with aluminum foil. This will keep them warm, but the steaks will also continue cooking a little – all the reason not to overcook them in the first place.
To the pan, add the minced shallots and stir to scrape any delicious bits that have stuck to the bottom.
Now, here comes the fire!
Remove the pan from the stove and add the Cognac. You have two choices: 1. You can ignite the Cognac with a long matchstick; or 2. Return the pan to the stove, keeping your face away from it, and tilt it so that the flame from the stove ignites the Cognac vapors.
When the flames die, add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir for another 5 minutes or so, until the sauce thickens. Add the steaks back to the pan, coat with sauce, and serve.
