Recipe: "Pepper" Steak

Recipe Source: Clements, Carole and Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen.  French.  Anness Publishing, London, 2006 p. 153

Steak au poivre, or pepper steak, is a dish that has intrigued me for a long time.  I never had the chance to try it until recently.  My husband finds the concept of steak cooked indoors, in a pan, to be downright blasphemous, and so I never had the chance to make it.  Well, one recent Friday I found myself on my own for dinner.  This was the perfect opportunity to try the dish. 

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to.  I'm not sure why.  It could be that the pan I used was too big, which prevented the sauce from coming together the way I wanted.  I also didn't have proper peppercorns on hand.  I substituted grains of paradise, which tasted great and had a great texture so I don't think that was the problem.  I really think that halving the recipe may have had something to do with my disappointment as well.  I used garlic butter instead of regular for the recipe, and scattered some crushed garlic over the top of the finished product for a little extra garlic.  (I did mention that I was alone, right?)  At any rate, I tried it once, satisfying my curiosity.  I can now go back to eating steaks on the grill, which is how they should be done in the first place.

Steak au Poivre (serves 1; approx. $10.06/serving)

1 tablespoon grains of paradise

1 8-oz sirloin steak

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons brandy

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 garlic clove, crushed

Equipment:

• Plastic zip-top bag
• Rolling pin
• Various plates
• Saute pan

1. Put the grains of paradise in the plastic bag, then crush them lightly with the rolling pin.
2. Rub both sides of the steaks with the grains of paradise and set aside.
3. Melt the butter with the oil in the pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the meat and cook until your desired degree of doneness is reached.  I like mine quite rare.  The book says 6 - 7 minutes.  Turn the steak halfway through cooking.
5. Transfer the steaks to a plate.
6. Turn off the heat.  Add the brandy to deglaze the pan, then return the pan to the heat. 
7. Add the cream and boil gently until the mixture has reduced by one third. 
8. Top the steak with the sauce and serve hot. 

Comments

[Chris]

So....did you TELL him you tried this or did you keep it your little secret?

Don't let him know he was right, you'll never be able to live with him after that, ha ha.