Steak au Poivre
Literally, "Steak with Pepper" in French; a pan sautéed strip steak with a pepper crust and served with a green peppercorn Bordelaise sauce.
The dish originated in France, probably Paris in the 19th Century, but it’s exact origins are unknown. One popular story is that this dish is a serendipitous discovery when a Paris chef accidentally over-peppered a steak, but learned that it created a delicious crust and he created a creamy sauce to accompany it on the spot. Sounds plausible, if undocumented.
This is a recipe that I learned to prepare tableside when, as a young man, I was an Assistant Maître d' at a white tablecloth restaurant in a swank Houston hotel. It was the ‘70s and tableside cooking was all the rage.
Bordelaise isn’t traditional in the sauce that accompanies this steak. Is it more traditionally made à la minute, combining the pan dripping with cognac, beef stock, butter and perhaps a bit of heavy cream. But the recipe I learned in fact used Bordelaise instead of beef stock, so I have to include it out of a sense of nostalgia, if not decorum. The Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Bordelaise Sauce is provided below for convenience.
The traditional cut of beef with this dish is a strip steak, sometimes called a New York Strip, but modern interpretations might use a Filet Mignon, which is entirely acceptable.
What About the Pepper?
Most recipes call for a blend of different peppercorns, although green peppercorns are traditional; however most cooks use ground black peppercorns for the crust, perhaps with other peppercorns mixed in. Lawry’s Seasoned Pepper really works well for this steak’s crust without any labor or effort. It’s course ground, so it provides the right texture. I use brined green peppercorns in the sauce, which are readily available in most grocery stores. Reese is a reputable, nationally distributed brand that works very well in this recipe.
This dish was first posed on Kitchen Tapestry in 2009 along with the recipe for Lyonnaise Potatoes, still my favored side dish.
Steak au Poivre
Ingredients
- 2 12-oz New York Strip Steaks (USDA Prime)
- 6 tbsp seasoned coarsely ground peppercorns (like Lawry's Seasoned Pepper)
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 small shallot, finely diced
- 2 tbsp red wine
- 1 cup Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Bordelaise Sauce
- 1/3 cup fine cognac (like, Courvoisier VS)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp brined green peppercorns
- fleur de sel finishing salt
Instructions
- Spread the seasoned pepper out thinly on a plate or paper plate
- Using half the olive oil, coat each side of the steaks, and press firmly into the seasoned pepper.
- Heat the olive oil and pepper in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Place the steaks in the hot oil and cook 7-8 minutes on each side for medium rare.
- Remove the steaks to a warm platter and tent with aluminum foil. Put the shallots into the hot oil and sauté until translucent.
- Deglaze the pan with the red wine, picking up any crusty brown bits.
- Take the pan off the heat, and add the cognac. Allow the pan to sit off the heat source for 2 minutes while most of the alcohol evaporates.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the Bordelaise Sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Add the heavy cream and green peppercorns and bring back to a simmer.
- The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, or allow to reduce until it does.
- Return the steaks to the skillet, including any juices that accumulated on the platter.
- Let everything bubble away for 1-2 minutes, then cut the heat. Transfer the steaks to serving plates with plenty of the sauce spoon over.
Bordelaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter, plus 2 tbsp
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup beef stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 2 tbsp veal demi-glace (like, Williams-Sonoma or substitute Better Than Bouillon Roast Beef Base)
- 1/4 tsp powdered thyme
- 7-8 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- fine sea salt to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter and sauté the shallots until they begin to pick up a little caramelized color, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
- Stir in the flour and allow it to thoroughly combine with the shallots, garlic and butter, and cook a bit until slightly browned.
- Whisk in one cup of dry red wine and de-glaze the pan, scraping up the crusty brown bits. Whisk until all is well blended and the sauce begins to thicken.
- Add the beef stock, thyme and pepper, stir to combine and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Stir in the demi-glace until it has melted into the sauce.
- Allow the sauce to gently simmer until it is reduce by half
- Strain out the shallots or use an immersion blender so the sauce is smooth
- Whisk in the last 2 tbsp of butter. The sauce is now ready to use.
Notes
- Test the sauce for salt only after it has finished reducing; you may not need it.
- If the sauce is not thick enough to your liking, make a slurry of 3 tbsp all purpose flour and 3 oz warm tap water, thoroughly mixed, then add a little at a time to the sauce while it is simmering. Bring back to a simmer and stir for 1 minute while the sauce thickens. Add more if further thickening is desired.
