STEAK AU POIVRE

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Erik and I have been lucky enough to visit Paris twice.  On both trips we had some great food (and some not so great food...I don't recommend ordering an American hamburger in France). Besides the obvious pastries, bread, and cheese, we both had several very memorable food experiences. I think it is safe to say that Erik's favorite French dish was duck confit, while I think my favorite was steak au poivre. Both are very traditional and were found in most of the restaurants we went to. While making my own duck confit has yet to happen, I made the steak a few weeks ago. The recipe comes from a 1953 issue of Gourmet Magazine (RIP..sniff).  It is a great recipe; I have to say that I liked it just as much as anything I had in France!  The recipe is pretty straight-forward, however, I used peach juice instead of Cognac and I think you could add more peppercorns than it calls for if you, like me, love that very peppery taste.

ingredients
4 (3/4- to 1-inch-thick) boneless beef top-loin (strip) steaks (8 to 10 oz each)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup Cognac or other brandy
3/4 cup heavy cream
preparation

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Pat steaks dry and season both sides with kosher salt.

Coarsely crush peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag with a meat pounder or bottom of a heavy skillet, then press pepper evenly onto both sides of steaks.

Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately high heat until hot, about 3 minutes, then add oil, swirling skillet, and sauté steaks in 2 batches, turning over once, about 6 minutes per batch for medium-rare.

Transfer steaks as cooked to a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven while making sauce.

Pour off fat from skillet, then add shallots and half of butter (2 tablespoons) to skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until shallots are well-browned all over, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add Cognac (use caution; it may ignite) and boil, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and any meat juices accumulated on platter and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over low heat, swirling skillet, until butter is incorporated. Serve sauce with steaks.