Steak au poivre with cognac cream sauce
Serves 2 · 30 minutes · Classic frying pan
Peppered steak needs a pan that can take serious heat. Carbon steel gives the meat a dark crust in minutes, and the browned bits left behind become the base of a glossy cognac sauce.
Steak au poivre is thick-cut beef fillet or sirloin crusted with coarsely crushed black pepper and served with a creamy cognac sauce. It is best when the pan is smoking hot, the meat is rested and the sauce is reduced in the same pan.
Ingredients
Serves 2
- 2 beef fillet or sirloin steaks, about 200 g each and 3 cm thick
- 2 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 15 g butter
Cognac sauce
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp cognac
- 100 ml beef stock
- 200 ml double cream
- Salt
To serve
- 200 g fine green beans
- Pan-fried potatoes or chips
Method
- Take the steaks out of the fridge a little while before cooking. Crush the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar, salt the steaks and press both cut sides into the pepper.
- Heat the pan over a high heat until it is almost smoking. Add the oil and the steaks and sear for 2–4 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Add the butter for the last minute and baste. Lift the steaks out and rest them under foil.
- Lower the heat to medium and soften the shallot in the pan juices for a minute. Take the pan off the heat, pour in the cognac and return it to the hob. Let the cognac bubble away almost completely.
- Add the stock and cream and simmer over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes until glossy and lightly thickened. Stir in the resting juices from the meat and season with salt.
- Cook the beans in salted water for 3–4 minutes. Return the steaks to the sauce or plate them, and serve with the beans and potatoes.
Why it works
Carbon steel handles the high heat a dark pepper crust needs, with no coating to damage. The browned bits that stick to the pan dissolve in the cognac and stock and give the sauce its depth.
FAQ
How long should you cook steak au poivre?
A 3 cm thick fillet steak needs 2–4 minutes per side in a hot pan for medium-rare, about 54 °C in the centre. Rest it for 5 minutes before slicing.
What can I use instead of cognac?
Whisky or brandy works just as well. For an alcohol-free sauce, use a little more stock and a dash of balsamic vinegar.
Which cut is best for peppered steak?
Fillet is the classic, but sirloin, ribeye or rump cut thick also work well. The main thing is that the steaks are at least 2.5 cm thick.
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