Steak au Poivre and Pan Sauce

Steak au Poivre is classic French recipe that creates a fantastic pan sauce in typical French style. Fresh ground black pepper, cream and beef tenderloin come together and cooked to perfection. Learn how make a pan sauce for chicken, shrimp, scallops and fish with a tutorial on this sauce technique. Delicious!

My family's all time favorite steak recipe.

It is easy to prepare, delicious and goes well with mashed potatoes, white rice or mixed vegetables. Keep a fire extinguisher handy though, because you will be igniting the brandy in the pan. I've never needed it, but it's better to be prepared.

This recipe touches on the basics of French cooking since you will be creating a pan sauce. After the steaks have cooked, turn off the heat. You are left with these wonderful "bits" called fond.  Pour off the excess fat and add the brandy or cognac and ignite.

This will deglaze the pan while the brandy burns off.  When the flames have subsided, add the cream and whisk to a nappe consistency. The sauce is incredible and the cream cuts the bite of the pepper for a nice contrast.  Bon Appetit!

For this dish we have custom cut our own sirloin, strip steaks, tender loins and we have even used venison fillet. All have been excellent.

Now for grinding pepper!

We use a coffee grinder that is dedicated to spice grinding to prepare the pepper corns for this dish. The fresher, the better!  You want that fresh ground peppery bite in the cream sauce.

Here are some tips to making a great steak au poivre.

• Firstly you don't want to use cold steaks right out of the refrigerator so take them out and let them rest on a plate for 30 to 60 minutes

Step by step photos:

1. Gather all your ingredients and have them measured out.  As I mentioned above, let the steak rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature before beginning.  Filet mignon is traditional for this dish but strips steaks cut into about 4 oz pieces work really well too.  Make sure they are about 1.5 inches thick.
2. Get crackin!  Take those whole black peppercorns and either put them in a coffee grinder like we do above or you can use a mortar and pestle or a food mallet in a pie tin.  However you want to get them cracked is fine.  What you want to create is a crust of pepper on both sides of the steak before it goes into the pan.  Drop the steaks in the pepper on each side to coat.
3. Once you get the oil and butter hot, but not burning, on medium heat the butter will start to brown slightly which will give some great flavor.
4. Watch carefully as it just starts to smoke and then drop the steaks in.  Sear for 5 minutes on one side.
5. Flip them over and sear for 5 minutes on this side.  You can reduce the time on this side depending on how you like your steak done. See my tips for how to check for doneness by poking with your finger.
6. Take them out and let them rest covered.
7. You turn off the flame and drain off any excess oil in the pan and you are left with lovely brown bits of goodness after cooking those steaks. Really, you could have cooked chicken, shrimp, scallops or fish in a pan with those bit left to build your sauce from.  It is time to make a pan sauce so you need to deglaze the pan and lift those brown bits up with some brandy or cognac.  Drop the brandy or cognac in the pan and light with a long grill starter but be careful.  You may want to put on some fireproof gloves, keep eyebrows back, have a pan lid close by just in case it flares up too high.
8. Once the alcohol cooks off and the alcohol flame dies down you can start making that classic French pan sauce and this pan sauce can be adapted to many recipes.  Turn the burner back on medium heat and start whisking those bits off the bottom of the pan, get them soft and they will eventually dissolve into your sauce.  Next  add in the cream and simmer while whisking continuously.
9.  The sauce will thicken and will eventually reach that nappe consistency where it coats the back of a spoon when you wipe it with a finger.   Turn off the flame.
10.  Drop the steaks back in the and coat them with the sauce or if you prefer, serve the sauce on the side.

More tips

If you cook some chicken, scallops or shrimp in a pan you can deglaze it and then add your cream and simmer until it thickens to that perfect consistency.  Add some other seasonings to the sauce and taste it while it thickens, it is a creative process.
Checking your steak for doneness and softness by poking with your finger.  So how soft you say?  There is a simple way to do this by comparing the firmness of the steak to the meaty part of your hand below your thumb.   So, open your hand and poke that meaty part below your thumb with your index finger. (With the opposite hand obviously, but hey, I just want to be clear.)  Feel the softness and this would be the softness of a raw steak. Now, take your index finger and just lightly touch your thumb, don't flex or grip. Poke the meaty part, it is slightly firmer and this how a rare steak would feel.  Take your second finger only a touch your thumb, poke and this would be the medium rare softness.  Working down the third would be medium and then the pinkie would be well done.

Frequently asked questions:

• • How long can I store the cooked steak in the refrigerator? Once the beef has cooled you can store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
  • How do I reheat the steak au poivre? Reheat the steak in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and stop and check every 30-45 seconds until hot. Once reheated do not cool and store again in the refrigerator, consume it right away. So only reheat the amount you will consume.
  • Can I freeze the steak au poivre? Yes, you can freeze the beef but not the sauce. Cream sauces will not have pleasant texture when thawed. If you plan to freeze keep the steak and sauce separate. Allow the beef to cool and you can freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator and then reheat in the microwave.

If you want to explore some other French style recipes here are a few to bookmark for later or pin on Pinterest.   The French patisserie fruit tart is easy to make and the cream filling just divine with a topping off fresh fruit of your choice and then glazed.  If you are a soup lover then you have to try homemade French onion soup and learn a little about the history of the dish too.  My all time favorite chicken dish has to be chicken tarragon that is cooked so tender and served  with a creamy rich sauce.

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Steak au Poivre Recipe

Steak coated in fresh ground peppercorns, with a cream sauce accented with VSOP cognac.  The creamy sauce tempers the intense flavor of the cracked black peppercorns. I like to use tellicherry black pepper in a spice mill for a really fresh flavor.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main dish

Cuisine: French

Keyword: cream sauce, nappe consistency, pan fry, pan sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 539kcal

Author: Analida Braeger

Ingredients

• 6 tenderloin steaks 4-6 oz oz each and about 1 ½" thick
• ½ pint heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp black pepper ground Tellicherry peppercorns ground
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tsp olive oil
• ⅓ cup VSOP or Brandy

Instructions

• In a spice mill grind the 3 tablespoons of Tellicherry peppercorns.
• Remove the steaks from the fridge and bring them to room temperature.
• In a round pie tin spread the ground peppercorns. Coat both sides of the steak and set aside.
• In a medium skillet put the olive oil and the butter on medium heat until it begins to smoke. Quickly cook each steak for about 5 minutes on each side. See tips below on how to check them for doneness. Set aside on a plate and cover them. Turn off the heat.
• Add VSOP to the pan and ignite the alcohol with a long match stick. (BE CAREFUL: Keep a pan lid close by or fire extinguisher, just in case! Use some fireproof gloves too)
• When the flame dies down turn the heat on again to medium.
• Add the cream and slowly whisk until it begins to boil.
• The sauce will be ready when it reaches nappe consistency. What this means is that you need to put a spoon into the cream mixture and turn it over. Run your finger from the tip of the spoon to its widest part. It you achieve a clean line in the middle, then your sauce is ready.
• Now, add the steaks back into the pan and coat them with the sauce. You can serve the sauce on the side of you prefer.

Notes

Tip:
Checking your steak for doneness and softness by poking with your finger.  So how soft you say?  There is a simple way to do this by comparing the firmness of the steak to the meaty part of your hand below your thumb.   So, open your hand and poke that meaty part below your thumb with your index finger. (With the opposite hand obviously, but hey, I just want to be clear.)  Feel the softness and this would be the softness of a raw steak. Now, take your index finger and just lightly touch your thumb, don't flex or grip. Poke the meaty part, it is slightly firmer and this how a rare steak would feel.  Take your second finger only a touch your thumb, poke and this would be the medium rare softness.  Working down the third would be medium and then the pinkie would be well done.  

Nutrition

Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 203mg | Sodium: 140mg | Potassium: 869mg | Vitamin A: 655IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3.9mg

Originally published October 2013 and updated March 2020.