Steak au Poivre; a flavorful cut of beef drizzled with a boozy peppery sauce and ready to be appreciated.
When it comes to one of the most upscale recipes you can think of, this peppercorn-crusted steak may be just that. But is it a white tablecloth meal or a humble way to make a cheap cut of beef taste good and a zesty peppercorn sauce?
What is Steak Au Poivre?
According to Merriam-Webster, steak au poivre is a steak recipe that has had coarsely ground black pepper pressed into it before cooking, is served with seasoned sauce, and is often flambeed with cognac.
You get the flavors of peppercorns mixed with a boozy aftertaste from the alcohol. Served with scallion mashed potatoes, it’s a dish that will make the tastebuds melt.
This isn’t just any old steak recipe. Steak au Poivre has a particular pedigree. In culinary terms, it is a classic French recipe that chefs are forever judged by. Every single famous chef from Julia Childs to Gordan Ramsey has thrown down with the dish. So, just going for it puts you in fine company. But instead of being one of those dishes so complex you need a culinary degree to master it, this is actually very simple. The sauce is made in the same pan as the steaks and stirs together in minutes.
Ingredients for Steak Au Poivre
- Thick boneless steaks – grab some that are about 1 inch thick
- Kosher Salt and large freshly ground peppercorns
- Butter – we use unsalted butter for cooking
- Brandy
- Beef broth
- Heavy cream
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh parsley
How to Make Steak Au Poivre
- Let your steaks sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while the skillet heats up. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Once the skillet is at medium-high heat, it’s ready.
- Melt the butter on the skillet and then add the steaks.
- Cook them to your desired doneness, flipping once in the middle. For medium rare steaks, opt for 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer steak from the heat to a plate, cover them and let them rest.
- Reduce the heat on the skillet and add brandy and broth.
- Scrape up any brown bits. Stir in your cream and mustard and let it come to a boil.
- Reduce the heat again and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Season with more pepper.
- Serve your steaks with sauce drizzled on top. Add parsley if you wish.
Be sure to soak up all those meat juices in the sauce. It’s the easiest way to achieve the creamy sauce in your heavy skillet.
Girl Carnivore EXPERT RECIPE TIPS
Let the steak rest.
- Letting your meat rest allows the juices to redistribute within the meat instead of running out. You don’t want them to lose their delicious flavor. The end result will thank you.
Grind your own whole black peppercorns.
- Don’t buy pre-crushed peppercorns. It defeats the purpose. Purchase large peppercorns and crack them over your steaks while cooking. You’ll get the good flavors in the meat and the peppercorn sauce.
What to Serve With Steak Au Poivre
When you think of steak, you most likely think of green beans and mashed potatoes! Other amazing sides include seasoned french fries, pureed carrots, risotto, and a classic salad. Even better, serve your steak on top of a green salad. The crunchy peppercorn crust pairs so well with a variety of sides. Pretty much anything you can think of, the steak is perfect for.
Perogies are another fantastic option because they soak up the creamy pan sauce floating around on the plate. Talk about melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Turn this into steak frites for a great main dish for the whole family.
Leftovers and Reheating
You’ll likely finish every last bite of this au Poivre recipe, but just in case, store your steaks in an air-tight container in the fridge. They will keep for about 3 days.
The best way to reheat leftover steaks is to place them in a deep microwave dish and add some of the sauce or beef stock on top while reheating. You can also reheat the steaks at medium heat on a large skillet or grill until they reach the desired temperature.
Want something tasty as a lunch for work? Serve your leftover steaks with au poivre sauce over a salad. A steak salad is a main course to get behind.
Recipe nFAQs
Steak au Poivre and pepper steak may be confused as the same thing in name alone. Where this steak is coated in peppercorns, pepper steak is often a stir-fry style dish of strips of pepper and steak in a brown sauce.
Some recipes call for black peppercorns, others green peppercorns. Some black and green. We recommend using coarsely ground black peppercorns. They are packed with pepperiness. You probably have them handy already. And finding the green ones can sometimes be a challenge.
This recipe is a flavorful cut of beef drizzled with a boozy sauce and ready to be appreciated. The traditional cut is a thick-cut filet mignon steaks, but ribeyes often have better flavor. Filet mignon is fork tender, though, so choose the cut you prefer.
More delicious Steak recipes
Here are a few recipes to check out when you are thinking about steak and can’t abide anything else…
Beef Recipes
Grilled T-bone Steak
Beef Recipes
Grilled Porterhouse Steak
Beef Recipes
Cheap Cuts of Meat for Great Grilling
Beef Recipes
Pan-Seared Ranch Steak
Once you add your 1/3 cup Cognac and get that nice crust on your steak, you’re really cooking! You’ll have a better steak than anyone on the block. If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to drop a comment below and rate the recipe to help out the next guy.
Steak au Poivre
Ingredients
- 2-4 small thick boneless steaks at least an 1″ thick
- salt and large freshly ground black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup brandy
- 1/4 cup beef broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Let steaks sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while skillet heats to medium high. Sprinkle them with a heavy coating of salt and pepper.
- Heat a skillet to medium-high.
- Melt the butter in the skillet and when it is nice and hot, add the steaks.
- Cook to desired doneness, flipping once. (I cook mine 5-7 minutes a side for medium rare).
- Remove steaks from pan, cover and let rest.
- Reduce the heat the to medium, add the brandy and broth.
- Scrape up any browned bits. Stir in the cream and mustard. bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a gently simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes longer. Season with pepper.
- Serve steaks with sauce drizzled over top and fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
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I LOVE Archer! That’s actually how this recipe came on my radar. Nice to know I’m not the only lady with a twisted sense of humor.
Yuuuup.
Hahaha, I love that you get it 😀
Hubs would love me forever and ever if he came home to this instead of my chicken all the time 😀
My meat eaters will love this! Love the new blog, it’s awesome!
Oh. My. God. I don’t think it’s fair that I have to simply look at this instead of being able to reach through my screen for it. Love that you paired it with perogies too.
There is a burger place in KC that I miss so badly! It has an au-poivre burger that makes me drool thinking about it. I love this!
Oh wow! my family would love this!! It looks amazing!