Equipment
Ingredients
Steak and Crust
- 2 beef tenderloin steak, trimmed
- 15 g whole black peppercorns, whole
- 4 g fine sea salt
- 15 ml avocado oil
- 20 g unsalted butter, chilled
Cognac Pan Sauce
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 60 ml cognac
- 120 ml unsalted beef stock
- 80 ml heavy cream
- 15 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 729 kcal
- Protein
- 45 g
- Carbohydrates
- 9 g
- Fat
- 51 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 1035 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 26 g
- Calcium
- 83 mg
- Iron
- 5.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 288 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Water
- 239 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the whole black peppercorns into a mortar and pestle. Crush into coarse, cracked pieces rather than a fine powder.
Pat both beef tenderloin steaks thoroughly dry on all sides using clean paper towels, then season evenly with fine sea salt. Wash hands, cutting board, and utensils with hot soapy water after handling raw beef to prevent cross-contamination.
Spread the cracked peppercorns evenly across a plate and firmly press both sides of each steak into the pepper until a dense, even crust adheres.
Place the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the avocado oil and 20 g of unsalted butter, heating until the butter melts and the foam fully subsides at 190°C (375°F).
Add the steaks to the hot skillet using tongs and sear undisturbed for 4 minutes, then flip and cook the second side for another 3 to 4 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 63°C (145°F) as measured with a digital instant-read meat thermometer.
Transfer the seared steaks to a clean plate and allow them to rest undisturbed for at least 3 minutes to permit internal moisture redistribution.
Pour off excess rendered fat from the cast iron skillet leaving approximately 5 ml of fat, then add the finely minced shallot and sauté over medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant and translucent.
Remove the skillet entirely from the heat source, pour in the Cognac, return the pan to medium-low heat, and scrape up the browned fond from the bottom of the pan with a whisk for 1 minute until the liquid reduces by half.
Pour the unsalted beef stock into the skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a rapid simmer for 3 minutes until the liquid reduces by half.
Lower the heat to medium, whisk in the heavy cream and any juices accumulated on the resting plate, then simmer gently for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Remove the skillet from the heat source and whisk in the remaining 15 g of cold cubed unsalted butter until fully melted, glossy, and emulsified.
Place each rested steak onto a serving plate, spoon the warm Cognac peppercorn pan sauce generously over top, and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- Coarsely cracked peppercorns provide a pleasant crunch and floral aroma; never substitute finely ground black pepper, which turns acrid and overwhelmingly bitter when seared.
- Mounting the sauce off the heat with refrigerator-cold butter (monter au beurre) suspends water droplets within butterfat, imparting a professional restaurant-level gloss and rich mouthfeel.
- Pour all resting juices that collect on the meat plate back into the simmering sauce during step 10 to infuse deep savory beef flavor into the dairy base.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Cool leftovers rapidly and store in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking.
Reheating: Reheat steaks and sauce gently in a skillet over medium-low heat with 15 ml of beef stock until the internal meat temperature reaches at least 74°C (165°F).
Troubleshooting
Peppercorn crust chars black and smells burnt during searing
Cause: Skillet temperature was too high or pan lacked sufficient oil and butter buffer
Fix: Cannot be fixed if the crust is acrid and blackened; scrape off burnt exterior pepper fragments before making the sauce
Prevention: Regulate burner heat to medium-high and ensure the oil and butter mixture coats the entire pan bottom
Pan sauce breaks and shows greasy butter streaks instead of a smooth emulsion
Cause: Sauce boiled too vigorously after adding cream or the cold butter was melted over direct high heat
Fix: Whisk in 15 ml of cold heavy cream or warm beef stock vigorously off the heat until re-emulsified
Prevention: Always take the skillet off direct heat before mounting with cold butter
Cognac flares up aggressively upon addition
Cause: Alcohol was poured directly over an open flame or heated element
Fix: Cover the skillet immediately with a metal lid to extinguish flames; do not throw water on an oil-based fire
Prevention: Remove the skillet completely from the stove surface before introducing the Cognac
Cultural Context
Steak au Poivre is an iconic pillar of French bistro cooking that rose to prominence during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Normandy and Paris. The dish celebrated the intersection of imported black pepper and rich regional staples like Normandy dairy, shallots, and aged French brandies. Today, it remains celebrated worldwide as an exquisite showcase of French pan-sauce mastery.
