417. Steak au Poivre

Steak au poivre, or peppered steak, is a famous French dish, and is often readily available at restaurants and hotels. Sure it might not be quite as fantastic as my mothers Steak with Magic Sauce, but it is really delectable.
Making then at home is not difficult at all.
I adapted the recipe from Christinas Cucina, but although she assured her readers that the steak was not spicy because the pepper is coarse, my scalp almost steamed off my head because of how spicy it was! Spicy, but still good. To make it delicious and a pleasure to eat, I reduced the peppercorns from two tablespoons per steak (!) to a single teaspoon per steak. The sauce is as simple as it is divine, and all-in-all it is a wonderful lunch with a tossed salad and some form of carb.

Ingredients:

6 steaks, your choice  

2 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

salt

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 cup heavy cream

Method:

Crush the peppercorns coarsely by placing in a plastic bag and crush with a heavy object, like a pan or rolling pin.

Place peppercorns on a flat plate or waxed or parchment paper, then press the steaks into the peppercorns to coat well on each side.

Heat the oil and butter over medium heat, then increase the heat to high and sear the steaks for four to six minutes on one side.

Turn steaks over and continue to sear the other side for four to six minutes, then reduce the heat to about medium, season with salt.

Season the other side with salt, and when cooked to your preference, remove steaks from pan and place on plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil to keep warm (you can also keep them in a warm oven).

Meanwhile, pour the vinegar and sugar into the pan, and warm slightly.

Add the cream, stirring well to clean all the flavorful bits from the bottom and sides of the pan.

Place the steaks on plates and serve the cream sauce over the top, along with a simple side salad, and/or vegetable or baked potato.

صحة و عافية