Sunday, December 1, 2013

Cooking thru Bread and Wine - steak au poivre with cognac pan sauce

Honestly, I was a little intimidated to try this recipe. The name sounds so fancy.

It was really, really easy. And the sauce - yum.

I made this for Richard on a bone chilling Saturday night, while he was sick. I paired it with a sweet potato (served like a baked potato). It was hearty and put us to sleep.

Cheers!




Steak Au Poivre with Cognac Pan Sauce 
Shauna Niequist, Bread and Wine

6 steaks (5-6 ounces each) – filet, NY strip or rib eye
Sea Salt
¼ cup whole black peppercorns
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil


Sauce:
2 shallots sliced
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
2 tbsp Dijon
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup half and half

Let steaks sit at room temperature on a towel for about 30 minutes to draw out moisture.
Crack peppercorns using a cast-iron skillet. Salt both sides of the steaks and then press in cracked peppercorns generously on both sides.
Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. When the butter is melted, add the steaks and cook on first side until there’s a dark sear, 3-5 minuets. Flip the steaks, add remaining butter, and cook to desired doneness – 2 minutes for rare.
Remove from pan. Cover.
Lower heat to medium, then add sliced shallots and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
Deglaze by adding cognac or bandy and scraping up the browned bits from the pan. Whisk in Dijon, chicken stock, and cream.
Turn to high heat and boil until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
Serve steaks drizzled with sauce.


Serves 6.


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