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| ©2016 Henry McDaniel Photography /Filet Mignon on a bed of garlic butter wilted spinach. |
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| The origin of Steak au Poivre is somewhat debatable. Several chefs have laid claim to the dish including Émile Lerch who made it in 1930 at the Restaurant Albert. The restaurant was owned by Albert Blazer who later moved on to the famed Maxim's. Other chefs who declare themselves creators of this dish include Tassard Pierre, M. Deveau of the Hotel Royal Monceau in Paris, O. Becker of the Paillard restaurant in Paris, and Gaston Comte at the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo. |
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| Skip and go straight to the recipe |
History aside, we looked into the variations on the "original recipes" and took the best aspects to build a blended recipe that isn't too peppery or heavy handed with cream. We've also provided a number of options and background information that dig into the flavor profiles of the products being used. Here's what you'll need: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Bacon (option for the burger version) 11. A hearty appetite Let's talk beef. We sampled the recipe on five cuts of meat... |
 Filet Mignon - The most tender cut with good flavor but can be easily overpowered if the sauce comes out on the strong side. |
 Ribeye - Loaded with flavor and remains tender throughout the cooking process. Ribeye will hold up to a stronger sauce. |
 Top Sirloin Filet - Which has many of the qualities of the Filet Mignon without the higher price and provides a bit more texture. |
 Flank Steak - A great cut if you like big flavor and more texture. We flame grilled this steak and served sliced with the sauce on top. |
 Combo Grind - A Burger au Poivre - yes, a burger made from ground sirloin, ribeye, and filet scraps. This one knocks your socks off. |
| We looked into the peppercorns - what's the difference with white, green, or black and how does that effect the sauce? |
 White Peppercorns - The white peppercorn is often thought to be slightly milder than the black peppercorn and has a winey and earthy flavor. They'll go with any cut of meat but you may prefer something stronger with the ribeye or flank. |
 Green Peppercorns - Tend to have a brighter and not so bold flavor. Green peppercorns are a safe choice if you're looking for a milder sauce. These would work well with the filet. |
 Black Peppercorns - Some people consider the black peppercorn to be stronger in flavor. Depending on the origin (India, Brazil, Lampong, Vietnam) they can have subtleties including: fruity, citrus, smoky, grassy, woodsy, and more. Great for ribeyes and flank steak. |
| For a good balance of the peppercorn qualities above, we settled on an equal blend of all three. |
| And finally - is there a difference between cognac and brandy? |
 Actually, cognac is a French brandy. Cognac gets the name from its place of origin - Cognac. Located on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes, Cognac is home to world famous Remy Martin, makers of cognac since 1724. Cognac unlike its well known counterpart Armagnac (another good French brandy), is made exclusively in the Charente *department and typically uses only the Ugni grape. Armagnac on the other hand incorporates three varietals in the process: Folle blanche, Colombard, and Baco Blanc.  The second difference between the two is the method of distillation. Cognac is distilled twice in pot stills while Armagnac is distilled only once through a column still. Double distillation removes more impurities and tends to create a smoother flavor. Armagnac typically has a lower alcohol content and can be aged for a minimum of one year while Cognac requires at least two years of aging before bottling.
Our suggestion - If you're looking for a more subtle flavor, go Cognac. If it's bolder you desire, then Armagnac is a good choice. And don't think that just because the product is used for cooking you can go cheap. Spend a few extra bucks and get the good stuff then pour yourself a snifter for after dinner. *France is divided into regions, which are then divided into departments ( Departements ). There are a total of 96 departments excluding the overseas territories. |
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| Top Sirloin Filet on a bed of pommes frites. |
| Steak au Poivre Recipe (for Filet Mignon, Ribeye & Sirloin. Burger and Flank come after this recipe.) |
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TOTAL 30mins (40 comfortably) |
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PREP 20 MINS
COOK 20 MINS
SERVES 4 ADULTS |
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| Each recipe is based on using four filets, ribeyes, sirloins, burgers, or enough flank steak to serve four. The flank and burger recipes follow. |
| PREPARATION |
| 1 | Pre-heat oven to warm. | 2 | Heat a large heavy-duty skillet over medium heat until hot. I prefer heating the pan on low for about ten minutes so the entire pan gets uniformally hot. |
| 3 | Sprinkle both sides of steak with a small amount of kosher salt. |
| 4 | Crush peppercorns using a mortar and pestle or place them in a plastic bag and crush with the smooth side of meat pounder. |
| 5 | Press the crushed peppercorns onto the meat. One side for lighter peppery flavor. Both sides for bolder flavor. There's a slight variation to this when prepping the sirloin. |
| 6 | I brush the sirloin with softened butter, then press on the peppercorn crush. This is a leaner piece of meat and the butter helps keep it moist during cooking. |
| 7 | Let steaks stand for a moment. The longer they stand, the more aromatic pepper flavor they absorb. 5 - 15 minutes is a good range. |
| 8 | Raise the pan heat to medium high. Add a small amount of olive oil. Swirl and toss in the steaks two at a time. Cook until seared and rare to medium rare. Only turn once. |
| 9 | Turn oven off. Place steaks on a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven. |
| 10 | Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped shallots and a couple of butter pats to the pan. Cook while scraping the browned bits until the shallots are clear and softened - about 3 - 5 minutes. |
| 11 | Deglaze with 1/2 cup of chicken or beef stock. Reduce mixture by 2/3. |
| 11 | Add the cognac. At least 1/2 cup for a solid flavor. More if you want it to be stronger. Tilt the pan (over gas) until the mixture flames. Reduce heat to low. |
| 12 | Once the alcohol has burned off, add a cup of cream and any juices from the meat platter. Add another two pats of butter and stir until fully blended. |
| 13 | You can either serve the steaks with the sauce on the side or finish the steaks in the sauce pan depending on your preference. |
| 14 | Pour yourself a shot of cognac. You deserve it. |
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| Ribeye with ricotta mashed potatoes. |
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45 SECOND TAKE  |
| Music: http://www.bensound.com |
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| Burger au Poivre |
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TOTAL 30mins (40 comfortably) |
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PREP 20 MINS
COOK 20 MINS
SERVES 4 ADULTS |
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| Burger topped with caramelized onions, bacon chips, cognac / peppercorn cream, over spring mix and served with bleu cheese potato chips. |
| Burgers tend not to hold well if they are set aside to rest. Therefore, the preparation changes up a bit to accomodate this drawback. Essentially, you're going to make the sauce base first. Here's how... |
| 1 | Bring your skillet to temp the same way you would for steaks. | 2 | Add your olive oil, two tablespoons of the ground meat, 1/3 cup chopped bacon, a teaspoon of the ground peppercorns for each burger you'll serve, and cook stirring until the meat and bacon are browned. | 3 | Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped shallots and a couple of butter pats to the pan. Cook while scraping the browned bits until the shallots are clear and softened - about 3 - 5 minutes. |
| 4 | Deglaze with 1/2 cup of chicken or beef stock. Reduce mixture by 2/3. |
| 5 | Add the cognac. At least 1/2 cup for a solid flavor. More if you want it to be stronger. Tilt the pan (over gas) until the mixture flames. Reduce heat to low. |
| 6 | Once the alcohol has burned off, add a cup of cream and any juices from the meat platter. Add another two pats of butter and stir until fully blended. |
| 7 | Add a teaspoon of roux and stir until the sauce thickens. |
| 8 | Remove from heat. Cover and set aside. |
| 9 | Cook burgers to until almost done - shorten your normal cooktime so the burgers are slightly undercooked. Return sauce to stove and heat on medium. |
| 10 | Add burgers to pan and sauce thoroughly. This provides an even coat of sauce over the entire burger. Option #2 - spoon sauce on top after the burger's on the bun. Serve. |
| 1 | Coat the flank lightly with olive oil. Season in kosher salt and crushed pepper - about two to three tablespoons of pepper. Set the flank aside to marinate for about twenty minutes. The longer the marinade the stronger the flavor. Go on to the next step when ready. |
| 2 | Bring your skillet to temp the same way you would for steaks and have the grill ready for the flank. | 3 | Add your olive oil to the pan. We also added a small amount of finely diced bacon to provide an extra kick to the flavor. | 4 | Reduce heat to medium. Add chopped shallots and a couple of butter pats to the pan. Cook while scraping the bacon bits until the shallots are clear and softened - about 3 - 5 minutes. |
| 5 | Deglaze with 1/2 cup of chicken or beef stock. Reduce mixture by 2/3. |
| 6 | Add the cognac. At least 1/2 cup for a solid flavor. More if you want it to be stronger. Tilt the pan (over gas) until the mixture flames. Remove from heat. |
| 7 | Grill the flank. Timing is dependent on temp and flank thickness. I always shoot for crispy and rare. |
| 7 | A lot of the pepper will come off but, because the meat was marinated, the flavor remains. |
| 8 | Set meat aside. Lightly tent and let rest for 2 - 5 minutes before slicing. |
| 9 | Return sauce to medium heat. Add another two pats of butter and stir until fully blended. |
| 10 | Add a dash of roux and stir until the sauce thickens. |
| 11 | Remove from heat. Slice and serve with sauce ladeled on top. |
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| Discover more... |
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| Come to France and discover the beautiful town of Cognac along with the makers of the world's top brand - Rémy Martin. |
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