The Cook’s Kitchen

This time of year tends to bring frenzied weekends and lots of shopping. Just this upcoming weekend, I have a Christmas party to attend Friday night, a company party to attend Saturday night and a friend’s dinner to attend Sunday evening. On top of that, I have a Christmas lunch to prepare this weekend in order to serve next week. Busy Busy Busy! But I like it like that!

In the midst of all the shopping, traffic, carols and parties, I also like to plan on having people over for a quiet dinner to celebrate friendships, and, to be honest, to show off our Christmas decorations. There are a couple criteria to the menu: it has to be fairly quick to make, and it has to be impressive. It’s a time to show off a bit!

In the past, I’ve done brisket, and I really want to do a suckling whole pig, with an apple in its mouth, but this year, I’ve decided on doing Steak au Poivre!

Steak au Poivre is basically steak with peppercorns, in a cream/cognac sauce, though other things can be used, too. Why it’s impressive is simple… Fire!!! In making the sauce, flames will be involved, always a crowd pleaser!

To start, I like to use filet mignon, and prime grade is worth it in this dish, trust me! I have them cut approximately 1 3/4″ thick, and one per guest. It’s important to let the steaks get to room temperature before cooking the to ensure they get done in the middle, as the cook time will be fairly short.

While the steaks are coming up to temp, I crush a few tablespoons of peppercorns. If I do too many, that’s ok; I’ll use them soon in something else anyway. Once the steaks are near room temperature, I sprinkle them generously with grey salt, patting it into the steaks a bit. Then I press each steak into the peppercorns, coating both sides. I don’t put peppercorns on the edges of the steak, as this part won’t be in contact with the heat.

In a skillet that is NOT nonstick, I bring unsalted butter and olive oil up to medium high temperature, then place the steaks in the skillet for approximately 4 1/2 minutes. I flip the steaks and sear again for 4 1/2 minutes. When the steaks are done, I set them on a plate, tented with foil, to rest.

Being careful not to disturb the fond (the bits in the bottom of the pan), I drain the liquid from the pan. Here’s where the fun stuff is! I turn off the burner and add 1/6 cup of cognac (cheap cognac, not the expensive stuff!) to the pan. Now that I’m comfortable with my stove and the technique, I turn the stove back on and angle the pan to catch the cognac on fire, but a long lighter will do the trick, too. I move the pan around until the flame subsides. Great effect, sure to make your friends ooh and ahh!

Once the fire is out, I add half a cup of cream per steak and add more grey salt to the sauce. The sauce is brought to a boil, and I whisk all the fond off the bottom of the pan, stirring for about five minutes, or until a spoon is coated with the sauce. At that point, I add a touch more cognac and place the steaks back in the pan, coating both sides, before plating the dinners. Though it’s the style now to place the sauce on the plate then the protein on top of the sauce, this is one dish I prefer to plate the steak, then sauce the steak, as the sauce coats the steak very nicely.

I like to serve this with earthly side dishes: asparagus, roasted root vegetables, mushrooms. And, since it’s Christmas time, I like to take the opportunity to open up that bottle of wine I’ve held back for a special occassion.

If this inspires you to try it, please let me know how you liked it. It’s just one version of many Steak au Poivre recipes, but it’s easy to do, and the results are well worth it!