Despite my unabashed love for random holidays (real or imagined), I kind of don’t care for Valentine’s Day. Love should be celebrated more than just one day a year, especially more than a day defined by greeting-card proclamations, things you buy, or elaborate, expensive restaurant meals.
Because FACT: the best Valentine’s Day something you could ever give anyone, whether it’s a significant other, a family member, a friend or hell, even yourself (#treatyoself) is a well-cooked meal at home. And everyone deserves a delicious steak.
Cooking perfect steak at home is actually fairly easy — all you need is a cast-iron skillet, a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and an open window (unless you’ve always thought that “steakhouse” should be a candle scent. In which case, you’re going to love cooking steak at home). However, Valentine’s Day, or any other special occasion, calls for a special steak.
Steak au poivre, or steak with pepper, is a classic French dish that’s been around since the early 1900s. There are many many different versions: with black, white, green or red peppercorns or a mix, different cuts of steak (the most popular is filet mignon, but given my budget, I went with a sirloin and it was still excellent) … and then you get to the pan sauce. Brandy versus Cognac, cream or no cream, shallots, mustard — the options are endless.
I went with Cognac, since I had some leftover. Some recipes (including Julia Child’s) call for lighting up the Cognac so that the alcohol burns off. I chose not to do this, since I don’t yet have renter’s insurance (I know!) and therefore would like to avoid setting fire to all of my possessions. But if you’ve got good insurance and a fire extinguisher nearby, get lit!
Also, instead of cream, I added a combo of beef stock (a la Julia) and creme fraiche (h/t Epicurious), which offers a bit of body and a nice tang. The pan sauce was so good I wanted to put it on everything, and did end up stirring the leftovers into a skillet of sauteed mushrooms, which I HIGHLY recommend.
Whether you’re cooking for Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, or a celebration of some sort, steak au poivre is always a good idea, and a great way to show someone you care.
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Steak Au Poivre
Ingredients
- 2 1-inch thick boneless sirloin or strip steaks (8 to 10 oz each)
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1-1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1/2 cup Cognac or other brandy
- 1/4 cup low-sodium beef stock
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
Instructions
- Pat steaks dry and season both sides with kosher salt.
- Coarsely crush peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag with a meat pounder or the bottom of a heavy skillet, then press most of the pepper evenly onto both sides of steaks (reserve 1 teaspoon).
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat until hot, about 3 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and sauté the steaks in 2 batches, turning over once, about 6 minutes per batch for medium-rare.
- Transfer the steaks to a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven while making sauce.
- Pour off the fat from the skillet, then add the shallots and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Cook over medium-low heat, scraping up any brown bits and stirring until the shallots are well-browned, 3-5 minutes.
- Carefully add the Cognac, leaning back to avoid any accidents (it may ignite). Boil, stirring, until the alcohol has burned off and the liquid is reduced to a glaze, 2-3 minutes.
- Increase the heat to medium and add the beef stock and creme fraiche. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced by half, 5-7 minutes. Serve the sauce over the steaks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
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