Steak au Poivre

Steak au Poivre

Or as we say in the South, Steak aw Poov-ree. Or some such.

We are not very good at pronouncing some things. Like instead of Versailles, Kentucky, it’s “Ver-sales.” And Lebanon, Tennessee, is “Leb-nun.” But we slap know how to light things on fire and this recipe features a spectacular flaming pan with cognac in it. And I am giving you this piece of advice right off the bat. If you have a limited height from your stove to your vent, as I do, do not attempt to light this on the stove unless you don’t care a wit about incinerating the microwave oven above it.

You’re so ’50s if you remember this recipe, but if you’ve never heard of it you need to go retro. There are few things easier to make that produce such an elegant finish. We had this for supper Friday night to reward King Daddy for a long week of sawing up a bunch of pine branches and hauling them down the hill to the road after a killer ice storm. I did not participate in that effort. Payback was slightly expensive, but it was also delicious.

 

Steak au Poivre
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Ingredients
  • 2 filet mignons, about 1 ½ inches thick
  • Salt
  • 1½ tablespoons coarse black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup cognac
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • Special equipment: Long-nosed lighter
Instructions
  1. Liberally sprinkle the steaks with salt on both sides, then heavily coat with the coarse black pepper.
  2. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the steaks and sauté them until they are well browned on both sides, about four minutes or 135 degrees internal temperature for medium rare.
  3. Remove the steaks to a warm plate and tent with foil to rest for about five minutes.
  4. Drain any excess butter and oil from the pan but do not remove the crispy bits. Turn off the stove and take the pan to a counter protected with a wooden cutting board (unless you have granite counters). Add the cognac and ignite with the long-nosed lighter.
  5. After the flames have disappeared, put the pan back on the stove and add the beef broth. Cook over medium high heat until the broth has reduced by half and then add the cream. Mix thoroughly and serve the sauce over the steaks.
 

 

 

 

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