steak
au poivre.
How to sear and cook steak. “Pepper steak” in English, a classic French dish.
Ingredients:
ribeye/striploin/filet steak, preferably 1.5-2” thick.
neutral oil, (canola, peanut, etc.)
kosher salt.
flakey salt.
3 tbsp unsalted butter.
3 cloves garlic.
3 sprigs thyme.
1 bay leaf.
pepper mix:
8g whole black peppercorns.
8g whole white peppercorns.
2g whole pink peppercorns.
2g whole szechuan peppercorns.
2g whole coriander seeds.
pepper sauce:
3 shallots, minced.
2 garlic cloves, minced.
300mL beef/brown/ckn stock.
50mL red wine jus/demi-glace.
100mL white wine.
30mL cognac.
6g lightly crushed and toasted whole black peppercorns. (telicherry preferred.)
50mL 35% heavy cream.
chives, chopped fine.
kosher salt.
20g unsalted butter, cold.
optional; 1 tbsp grainy mustard. + 1 tbsp small green peppercorns.
Equipment:
saucepan.
spice grinder.
fine-mesh sieve.
cast-iron/stainless-steel skillet.
baking tray, lined with a wire rack.
Yield:
1-2 servings.
Execution:
pepper mix.
Toast the spices in a saute pan over medium until aromatic and smoke appears.
Remove from the heat and coarsely grind, or until the spices are just cracked.
Place the spices in a fine mesh sieve to shake off any fine powder, reserve the larger pieces, and discard the powder.
2. cook the steak.
Preheat a convection oven to 200°F.
Season the steak generously with the peppercorn mix and salt.
Heat a skillet over high heat, add a generous amount of oil.
Once the oil smokes, place the steak in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until you achieve an even golden brown crust.
While searing, move the steak to a different part of the pan every 30 seconds or so. Each time you place a steak in the pan, the initial area loses temperature as the rest of the pan's surface area increases. By changing the spots where you sear the meat, you always ensure the highest possible temperature for searing.
Flip the steak, sear for a couple more minutes and reduce the heat to low.
Add the butter, thyme, bay leaf and garlic to the pan, once the butter starts to foam begin basting the steak for 45 seconds - 1 minute.
Remove the steak from the pan and place onto a baking tray lined with a wire rack.
Place your steak into the oven until it reaches medium rare, or an internal temperature of 52-56°C
Allow the steak to rest for 10-15 minutes in a warm place before slicing.
3. pepper sauce.
Add butter to a saucepan and melt over medium heat, add the shallot, garlic and peppercorn, sauté until lightly browned.
Deglaze the pan with white wine, reduce by half, add the cognac and reduce again.
Add the beef stock and jus, cook until thick and syrupy.
Add the cream and simmer over medium-low heat until thick.
Cut the heat, add the cold butter and whisk, finish with chives and season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
Optionally; strain before adding the butter and everything else.
Your sauce should be thicker than the one in the picture above.