Steak au poivre

Name: Steak au poivre
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 sirloin or fillet steaks, 3 cm thick; 2 tbsp black peppercorns; 1 tsp flaky salt; 1 tbsp sunflower oil; 20 g butter; 1 shallot; 50 ml cognac or brandy; 150 ml double cream; 2 tbsp beef stock

Pepper steak

Steak au poivre: Paris bistro pepper-crusted steak with a cream and cognac pan sauce

Features:

High protein Quick

Cuisine:

French

Steak au poivre is the great Paris bistro main course, ordered with a mountain of frites at lunchtime brasseries from the Left Bank to Montmartre. Thick steaks are pressed into coarsely cracked black peppercorns, seared hard, then the pan is deglazed with cognac and finished with cream into a peppery, glossy sauce. The cognac is flamed and boiled, which drives off most of the alcohol but not all; for an alcohol-free sauce use 60 ml beef stock with 1 tsp red wine vinegar instead. The common mistake is grinding the pepper too fine, which makes the crust bitter and fiercely hot. Chef's tip: crush the peppercorns under a heavy pan so they stay in coarse pieces, and sieve off the fine dust.

Total time: 30 min
Difficulty: medium
Serves: 2

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Ingredients

Serves2

2 sirloin or fillet steaks, 3 cm thickabout 250 g each, at room temperature
2 tbsp black peppercornscoarsely crushed
1 tsp flaky salt
1 tbsp sunflower oil
⅔ oz butter
1 shallotfinely chopped
3 ½ tbsp cognac or brandy
¾ cup double cream
2 tbsp beef stock

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What you'll need

Kitchen thermometer

Spices & pantry

Fresh ingredients (3)

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Method

0/6 done

Step 1: Pat the 2 sirloin or fillet steaks, 3 cm thick dry and press the 2 tbsp black peppercorns firmly into both sides. Season with 1 tsp flaky salt just before cooking.
3 min
Step 2: Heat the 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy frying pan over a high heat until shimmering. Sear the steaks for 3–4 minutes a side for medium rare (an instant-read thermometer reads 131°F in the centre) or 5 minutes a side for medium (140°F). Add the ⅔ oz butter for the last minute and baste.
8 min
Step 3: Move the steaks to a warm plate to rest for 5 minutes. Pour off most of the fat, lower the heat and soften the 1 shallot in the pan for 1 minute.
5 min
Step 4: Take the pan off the heat and pour in the 3 ½ tbsp cognac or brandy. Return to the heat and carefully light it with a long match, standing back; let the flames die down.
2 min
Step 5: Add the ¾ cup double cream and 2 tbsp beef stock and boil for 2–3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add any juices from the resting plate.
4 min
Step 6: Serve the steaks with the sauce spooned over and frites or a green salad.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 640 kcal
Protein: 42 g
Carbs: 3 g
Fat: 50 g
Fibre: 1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does steak au poivre take?: About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it gluten free?: Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
What can I use instead of black peppercorns?: Ground black pepper, a little less than the amount.
What can I use instead of butter?: The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).

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