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French: Valérie's Steak au Poivre

Source of Recipe

From "Once Upon A Chef" by Jennifer Segal


Recipe Introduction

"When I was twenty years old, I signed up to work as a summer au pair in Paris. I went there believing I'd be visiting museums and lingering in Parisian cafés as the children scampered about me in adorable berets, always ready and willing to take a nap when I needed a break. HA! I still laugh about it to this day. Instead, I was taking care of three mischievous little boys ages two, four, and six—and a puppy—running errands, and ironing for hours on end. But the job did have one special thing going for it: my host mother, Valérie, was a wonderful cook. When I think of her today, I still picture her standing at the kitchen table, crushing peppercorns with the back of a frying pan for her steak au poivre—a beef tenderloin fillet with a crunchy peppercorn crust, napped with a rich Cognac sauce."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Four 6- to 8-ounce filet mignons
â—¦ 1 heaping teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
â—¦ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ â…“ cup finely chopped shallots
â—¦ ½ cup Cognac or other brandy
â—¦ ¾ cup heavy cream
â—¦ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard


Recipe

Pat the steaks dry and, if they are thick, gently press them down so that they are about 1 ½ inches thick. Season the steaks all over with the salt.

Seal the peppercorns inside a small plastic bag and place on a cutting board. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of a frying pan, pound the peppercorns until they are coarsely crushed. Press the crushed pepper evenly onto both sides of the steaks.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot and shimmering, add the steaks and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side, turning only once, for medium-rare (or 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium). Transfer the steaks to a plate and tent with foil.

Pour off the excess fat from the pan but do not wipe clean. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the butter and shallots. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the shallots are golden brown and softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully add the Cognac (it may ignite) and boil, again stirring to scrape up the brown bits, until the liquid is reduced to a glaze, a few minutes longer.

Add the cream and mustard and gently boil until thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in any meat juices that accumulated on the plate holding the steaks. Transfer the steaks to serving plates and spoon the sauce over the top.

Serves 4