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A person drizzling sauce over a steak au poivre on a white plate with sweet potato fries.
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4.84 / 6 votes

Steak au Poivre

This steak au poivre from Julia Child is a French classic made with steak encrusted with black, green, white peppercorns, and allspice and drizzled with a Cognac pan sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Mains
Cuisine: French
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 700

Ingredients

For the steak

  • 2 tablespoons mixed whole peppercorns, including black, white, green, Szechuan and Jamaican (whole allspice)
  • One (1-pound) thick-cut, well-marbled strip steak*, about 1 inch (2 1/2 cm) thick, trimmed of fat
  • Salt
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) unsalted butter

For the pan sauce

  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 2 tablespoons Cognac, (or bourbon or red wine)
  • 1/2 cup beef stock or dark chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the garnish

  • Chopped flat-leaf parsley, (optional)
US - Metric

Instructions

Sear the steak

  • Crush the peppercorns using a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or the bottom of a heavy skillet.
    A person using a mortar and pestle to grind peppercorns.
  • Generously season the top and bottom of the steak with salt. Press the peppercorns onto both sides of the beef, encrusting the meat as lightly or heavily as you prefer. Cut the steak into 2 pieces.
    A person pressing a peppercorn mixture into a steak on a white plate.
  • Heat the oil and the butter in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the steaks. Sear, without nudging them, for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until deeply browned.
    Two pieces of steak being seared in a cast iron skillet.
  • Flip the steaks and cook until the desired doneness, about 1 1/2 minutes more for medium-rare, depending on the thickness of your steaks.
    A person flipping seared steaks in a cast iron skillet.
  • Let the steaks rest on a warm platter for at least 10 minutes.

Make the pan sauce

  • A few minutes before you intend to eat, return the pan with the drippings to medium heat. Add the shallots and saute briefly, stirring with a spoon to scrape the bottom of the skillet. 
  • Avert your face from the stove and pour the Cognac into the pan. If desired, tilt the edge of the pan slightly over the flame or use a match to ignite the alcohol. Immediately turn the heat down. The Cognac will flame for a few seconds as the alcohol burns off.
    Cognac being added to a skillet with sautéed shallots.
  • Once the flames die down, cook for a few moments more, and then add the stock. Bring the liquid back to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, 2 to 5 minutes.
    Broth being added to a skillet with sautéed shallots.
  • Taste the pan sauce and adjust the seasoning as desired. Add the butter, and swirl the pan until the butter melts and is incorporated with the pan juices.
    Butter melting into a pan sauce in a skillet.
  • Pour the poivre sauce over the steaks. Sprinkle liberally with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
    A person drizzling poivre sauce over a seared steak on a white plate.

Notes

  1. Do your mise en place--This meal comes together very quickly, so I recommend having all of your ingredients prepped in advance before you begin cooking.
  2. Trim your steak--Trim the fat on your steak before cooking so that it doesn't spatter as it hits the pan.
  3. Storage and reheating--Store leftover steak and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the meat and sauce in an ovenproof skillet and reheat in a 300°F oven until warmed through.
  4. Dietary--This recipe is suitable for gluten-free diets.

Nutrition

Serving: 8ounces of peppercorn steak | Calories: 700kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 212mg | Sodium: 242mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g