Sauce au Poivre

The steakhouse essential — cream, brandy, crushed black peppercorns, beef stock.

Green peppercorns or black — either works. Cream reduces with a splash of brandy that's flambéed for showmanship. The pan sauce that turns a fillet steak into a proper Saturday-night event.

Method

01
In the pan you just cooked steak in — with fat and fond — sweat 1 minced shallot until soft. Add 2 tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns and toast 1 minute.
02
Add 60ml brandy off the heat. Return to heat and flambé (careful) or reduce until nearly dry.
03
Add 150ml good beef stock, reduce by half. Add 150ml double cream, reduce until it coats a spoon.
04
Off the heat, whisk in 1 tsp Dijon and 20g cold butter. Season. Pour over the resting steak.

Chef's notebook

“Crack the peppercorns in a mortar or under a heavy pan — no fine grinding. You want texture.”
“Add a spoon of demi-glace if you have it — it turns a good sauce into a proper one.”