Steak au poivre is a traditional French dish that involves pressing coarsely ground black pepper into steak or more typically, a whole filet mignon backstrap cut into a few chunks long, before cooking and then later sliced tableside or by the diner. The steak is then served with a seasoned sauce, often flambéed with cognac.
Ingredients
4 Servings
2 1½”-thick New York strip steaks or tenderloin (about 1½ lb. total–we like to substitute deer venison backstraps for this recipe cut into 4-5″ lengths so that they look like a strip steak)
1 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, 2 smashed, 2 thinly sliced
3 sprigs thyme
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
1 large shallot, finely chopped
⅓ cup cognac, dry sherry, or brandy (Scotch or whiskey, even Bourbon, beer or rum also work)
½ cup heavy cream
Preparation
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Step 1
Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Season all over with kosher salt and a generous amount of ground pepper. Let sit 15–30 minutes.
Step 2
Coarsely crush peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or place in a resealable plastic bag and crush with a small saucepan (they should be a lot coarser than ground pepper).
Step 3
Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Cook steaks, undisturbed, until a deep golden brown crust forms underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn over and cook on second side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. If the steaks have a fat cap, stand them on their sides with tongs and cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
Step 4
Reduce heat to medium-low. Add smashed garlic cloves, thyme sprigs, and 1 Tbsp. butter to the pan. Cook, basting steak continuously, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of each steak registers 120°, about 2 minutes. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, combine shallot, sliced garlic, crushed peppercorns, and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in skillet and cook, stirring often, until shallot and garlic are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
Step 6
Remove from heat and add cognac to pan. Set over medium heat and cook until cognac is mostly evaporated and spoon leaves streaks in skillet while stirring, 1–2 minutes. Add cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until sauce coats spoon, about 1 minute. Season with kosher salt.
Step 7
Slice steaks against the grain and transfer to a platter. Pour any juices from cutting board back into skillet and stir into sauce. Spoon sauce generously over steak; sprinkle with sea salt.
Chopped Steak au Poivre
One 16 ounce New York strip steak
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black
pepper (see Note, page 130)
2 teaspoons neutral oil
Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced
11% tablespoons cognac
6 tablespoons veal demi-glace
(homemade or store-bought)
% cup crème fraiche
2 tablespoons freshly cracked
black pepper
teaspoon Diamond Crystal
kosher salt
RILL
CHOPPED STEAK AU POIVRE
Emile Haynie, a great friend, prolific music producer, bread tosser, and fellow steak
house admirer, turned me on to the chopped steak at THE MUSSO & FRANK G
(page 240). It is by far my favorite Musso signature. Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo used
to do a chopped steak at their dearly departed restaurant, Animal, that ramped up all
things Yum Town. I miss that place so much. It means the world that they went into
the vault and prepared the exact recipe for old times’ sake. Try making homemade
veal stock for the demi-glace.
Prepare the steak: Remove any sinew from the steak, but keep the fat on the whole
steak. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices in any direction, lay the slices flat, julienne each
slice lengthwise, then cut into small dice horizontally. Run your knife through the
diced meat and fat a few times to mix them evenly.
Season the minced steak lightly with a pinch of salt. Split the meat into two patty
portions, about 8 ounces per patty. Store in the fridge until ready to cook. (No need
to cover the patties, but only prep up to a few hours before using; otherwise the beef
will oxidize.)
When ready to cook, generously season each patty with salt and pepper on both
sides. Place a large cast-iron pan or other heavy skillet over high heat. When very
hot, add the oil and swirl to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Add the patties
and sear for 1 minute, until a deeply, beautifully golden brown crust forms on the
bottom, then flip to sear on the other side, 1 minute more, for a rare patty. Remove
from the heat and let the patties rest on a plate or cutting board.
Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter then
add the shallots. Cook, stirring often, until they begin to sweat and are translucent,
2 to 3 minutes. Add the cognac, then carefully ignite with a long lighter to cook off the
alcohol. Stir to deglaze the pan and cook until the liquid has almost entirely cooked
off, 1 to 2 more minutes. Add the veal demi-glace, stir, and bring to a boil. Then lower
the heat to medium-low to let simmer, stir in the crème fraîche, and remove from the
heat (do not let the crème fraîche boil). Season with the pepper and salt.
To serve, put a few spoonfuls of sauce on each plate, then place a steak patty on top.