Go Back

My Frenchman’s Steak with Pepper Sauce

Steak au poivre, the way my Frenchman makes it, is pretty simple. When I look at American versions of the dish, many recipes include techniques that are, well… technical! And while thermometers, dry brines, and other tricks of the trade pay off in flavor, they tend to complicate the dish unnecessarily.
Try these tricks to make steak au poivre your own family’s go-to meal!
• Start with the best quality of meat you can find. The actual cut of beef doesn’t matter as much as your purveyor’s ability to source an excellent matière première, or raw ingredient.
• Secondly, buy the beef cut that you like. The traditional cut for steak au poivre is filet mignon, but nothing’s stopping you from buying a less expensive cut, and more importantly, one that you think is the perfect compromise between texture, flavor, and price. Onglet (hanger steak) works, as do ribeye, strip steak, rump steak, or sirloin.
• If you’re in France, and like to cook for yourself, a whole plethora of beefs cuts that you don’t have in other countries await you! My Frenchman likes to buy whatever is looking the deepest in color at the butcher shop, and he often chooses among the “butcher’s cuts” or the ones that traditionally were secret, single-portion cuts that the butcher would keep for himself. These cuts are known as merlan, poire, or araignée (trust me, you’re not buying spider!). Coeur de rumsteak or tournedos also work wonderfully.
• Make sure to get your steak chambré or up to room temperature before cooking. Cold meat straight from the refrigerator will lower the temperature of your cooking fat and prevent getting a great sear and color on the meat.
• Use freshly ground peppercorns. Once crushed or ground, pepper quickly loses its flavor and can even turn bitter.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ pounds (about 700 g) beef, cut into 4 steaks (see notes above; use your favorite tender cut of steak)
  • 3 tablespoons (45 g) Cognac
  • 2 teaspoons ground black peppercorns, or a mix of black and green
  • 1 scant cup (220 g) crème fraiche
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt for the sauce + a few pinches for the steaks
  • 1 tablespoon butter, or ¾ tablespoon clarified butter: if using, don’t add the oil just below
  • ½ tablespoon mild oil such as peanut, canola, or other vegetable oil (not olive oil)

Instructions
 

  • An hour before you want to make this recipe, remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, prepare all the ingredients for the sauce next to your stovetop: measure out the Cognac in a small ramekin, grind the pepper into a small bowl (measuring as you go), measure out the crème fraiche and the salt. Place a large lid next to your saucepan.
  • In a large sautoir or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it’s foaming. Add the oil and swirl the fats around the pan, then increase the heat to medium-high.
  • Cook the steaks to your desired doneness. (Ask your butcher how long to cook for each side for your taste, because this step will necessarily depend on the thickness of your steaks.)
  • Removing the saucepan momentarily from the heat, place the steaks on a platter and sprinkle a pinch of salt over each steak. Cover the platter very loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.
  • Now make the pan sauce: place the saucepan back onto medium heat and add the Cognac. There is no need to do a parlor-trick flambé, but if the Cognac does flare up, just cover with a lid to douse the flames.
  • Add the ground pepper and swirl, using a flat spatula to scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  • Lower the heat a bit. Reduce the Cognac until it’s syrupy and there’s only about a tablespoon left in the pan. Add the crème fraiche and continue reducing and stirring to homogenize the pan sauce. Check the steaks on the platter: there should be meat juices surrounding them. Pour those meat juices into the sauce reducing on the stove.
  • Finally, when you have about 1 cup of sauce left in the pan, add the salt and stir well. Serve the steaks for 4-5 diners or warmed plates, taste your sauce (it may need more salt), and serve the sauce over the steaks. Bon app’!

Notes

serves 4-5