Anyone who knows me well knows my one true love…red meat. In particular, I am a huge fan of steak. Ribeye, filet mignon, NY strip, skirt steak, London broil, flank steak, pepper steak. When it comes to steak, I am an equal opportunity eater – I love it all and I do not discriminate. So it should be no surprise that when one of my close girlfriends and I decided to throw a Decadent Dinner 2010 for ourselves, we opted for the best selection of filet mignon we could find. The only question was how will we cook it?
I’m a fan of grilled steak, the sear and bake trick, or even a broil. Yet for this event we needed something special and I decided to put on my French chef’s hat and cook my Steak au Poivre. I’ve included the recipe below and a couple points for good measure. I can honestly say it was the best steak I’ve ever cooked. The meat was cooked medium-rare with just the right amount of sauce and peppery goodness. Each bite was tender and juicy, filling my tongue with an explosion of rich flavor. I’d recommend investing in a good bottle of red wine. For this meal I splurged and enjoyed a 2004 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley. The wine’s supple, velvety quality, depth and hints of black cherry and plum were a perfect complement to our steaks. For our sides we made a homemade Caesar salad and a hearty scalloped potato gratin. We ended on a sweet note with a chocolate mousse eruption cake. Bon appétit!
Recipe for Steak au Poivre
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
3-4 high quality filet mignon steaks, 1-2 inches thick
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup Cognac, then 1 teaspoon (Hennessey’s)
1 cup heavy cream
Mushrooms (this is my own addition that I think adds to the flavor of the dish)
Directions:
Steaks Searing Process
- Remove steak from refrigerator 30 minutes to an hour prior to cooking.
- Rub kosher salt and crushed peppercorns (use mortar & pestle or a mallet to crush) onto both sides of filet
- Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour
- Set medium skillet over heat and melt butter and oil
- Once butter/oil mixture begins to smoke add steaks to pan
- Cook on each side for 4 minutes to achieve medium rare
- Remove steaks from pan and place on plate, covering with foil to keep warm
- Pour out excess fat from pan but do not wipe clean
Sauce
- Off of heat, add Cognac to skillet and ignite with match or firestick (make sure your hair is tied back because the flame may jump up a foot or two)
- Gently shake pan until flames die down
- Return pan to heat and add heavy cream
- Bring mixture to a boil and whisk for 5-6 minutes
- Add final teaspoon of Cognac and a dash of salt and pepper to taste
- Add mushrooms and saute for a couple minutes until cooked through
- Add steaks back to pan, spoon sauce over and serve.
