Steak au Poivre with Cognac Sauce

Ahhh French cooking... you taste so good, yet your recipes are so difficult to pronounce. Enter Steak au Poivre. My interpretation of the pronunciation: aww pwav. You can listen to it here. Anyways, on to the good stuff. The recipe for Steak au Poivre (literal English translation: Pepper Steak), is very simple, and oooooh so much fun. 

It's not too often that I find a recipe that T is more excited about trying than I am, but when he heard that using a meat mallet to crush pepper, and lighting cognac on fire were involved, he could barely contain his excitement. The fact that steak was what's for dinner may have played into this as well.

Step One: Gather the ingredients. 

Step Two: Crush the peppercorns and season steak with salt and pepper.

Step Three: Cook the steak to desired doneness. If you are like T, this is also an opportunity to sample the Cognac.

Step Four: Remove the pan from the heat pouring off any excess fat. Add Cognac to the pan and light a fire. Make sure you keep a fire extinguisher close by!

Step Five: Return the pan to the stove, add cream and whisk 5-6 minutes to make the sauce.

Step Six: Return the steak to the pan. Spoon the sauce over the steaks to serve.

Recipe from Food Network

STEAK AU POIVRE WITH COGNAC SAUCE | Yield: 4 Servings | Total Time: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS:

4 tenderloin steaks, 6-8 oz each and no more than 1 1/2 inch thick. (I used T-bones as that is what I had on hand)
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp whole peppercorns
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 C Cognac, plus 1 tsp
1 C heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour prior to cooking. Sprinkle all sides with salt.

Coarsely crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or place in a plastic bag and crush using a meat mallet. Spread the peppercorns evenly on a plate or cutting board, and press the fillets, on both sides, into the pepper until it coats the surface. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden, place the steaks in the pan. For medium, cook 6-8 minutes on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, tent with foil and set aside. Pour off the excess fat from the skillet, but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.

Off the heat, add 1/3 C Cognac to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match or lighter. Gently shake the pan until the flames die.

NOTE: Make sure you have a fire extinguisher or large glass of water within arms reach in case this doesn't go as planned.

Return the pan to medium heat and add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk until the sauce thickens, approximately 5-6 minutes. Add the tsp of Cognac, and salt to taste. Add the steaks back to the pan and spoon the sauce over to serve.

Bon Appétit!