Steak au poivre is a classic dish that consists of a steak crusted in coarsely cracked black pepper, then seared in a pan with clarified butter, and served with a pan sauce made with shallot, cream, and brandy.
Classic Steak au poivre
Steak au poivre is a classic dish that consists of a steak crusted in coarsely cracked black pepper, then seared in a pan with clarified butter,
and served with a pan sauce made with shallot, cream, and brandy. The beef (we used a strip steak, which is common for this dish) and
the cream sauce are luscious and rich. In fact, they are so rich that they call for balance, and balance is delivered by all that pepper.
The sharp, bright pungency of the cracked pepper cuts through the heaviness that would otherwise be stifling. The result is a dish that
provides luxurious, comforting flavor and mouthfeel with supreme eatability.
The sauce for steak au poivre is simple in its composition and easy in its execution, but magnificent in its final result.
After the steaks have flambéd, they are removed from the pan. Any pepper that escaped the grip of the steaks—possibly a
lot of pepper—is left in the pan. A shallot, minced, is added to the hot oil, as is a sprig of thyme. Once the shallot has softened,
cream is added to the pan and brought to a simmer until the desired consistency is reached. Finally, a tablespoon of cold
butter is stirred in to give the sauce a nice gloss. That’s it. The beef juices, the brandy, the pepper, cream, and shallots—they
all mingle together to make a sauce that is 5-star restaurant-worthy, but it only takes minutes to make.
Servings 2 steaks-servings
Ingredients
- 2 strip steaks about 1–1/1/2 inches thick
- Kosher salt
- ~1/2 C whole peppercorns
- 2 Tbsp clarified butter melt butter and use the clear, oily part that stays on top, leaving the milky watery bits in the bottom of the container
- 1 1/2 oz brandy or cognac
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 cup cream
- 1 Tbsp cold butter
- fries for serving
Instructions
- Coarsely crush your peppercorns either by putting them in a freezer bag and beating them with a rolling pin or by laying them on a counter and crushing them with the bottom of a heavy pan, pressing down and moving through the pile to crunch them. Use the but of your palm to apply pressure. Ingenuity is welcome for this step, but don’t crush your pepper too finely.
- Score the fat cap on the edge of the steaks to keep them from curling while cooking.
- Salt the steaks generously.
- Dredge each steak in the pile of peppercorns, pressing them down in the pile to make the pepper adhere well.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the 2 Tbsp clarified butter to the pan. Check that the oil temperature is above 325°F (163°C).
- Cook the steaks in the butter for about 3 minutes per side. Flip the first time when the first side is nicely browned.
- Start taking the temperature with your Thermapen ONE. Cook until the steaks reach between 110 and 120°F (43 and 49°C).
- Remove the pan from heat and carefully pour the brandy over the steaks. If you are able to safely flambé and have a fire extinguisher nearby, ignite the brandy and shake the pan as the alcohol burns out. Cook until the brandy is reduced to a tiny amount, almost dried out (au sec, as we say in the cooking world).
- If your situation doesn’t allow for flambé, kill the heat on the stove, add the brandy, and cook, shaking, over the residual heat in your pan until most of the brandy has cooked out. Then relight the stove and continue to cook until the brandy is au sec.
- Remove the steaks to a platter and allow them to rest while you make the pan sauce.
- Add shallot and thyme to the pan and cook until the shallot softens.
- Add the cream, stir, and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. Check for salt, but there should already be plenty of pepper.
- Kill the heat under the pan and stir in one tablespoon of cold butter.
- Plate the steaks and serve, sauced.
Notes
we want this pan more in the range of 325–400°F (163–204°C).
Yes, 325–400°F is a wide range, but we put our steaks in at about 325°F, and by the time they came out the pan was up to nearly 400°F. https://blog.thermoworks.com/beef/steak-au-poivre-recipe/#tasty-recipes-29330-jump-target
Yes, 325–400°F is a wide range, but we put our steaks in at about 325°F, and by the time they came out the pan was up to nearly 400°F. https://blog.thermoworks.com/beef/steak-au-poivre-recipe/#tasty-recipes-29330-jump-target
