Ingredients
- 4 (6 to 8-ounce) strip steaks, 3/4 to 1-inch thick
- Kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
- 2 tablespoons clarified, unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup beef stock or broth
- 3 tablespoons cognac
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon green peppercorns in brine, drained and slightly crushed
Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Sprinkle steaks with kosher salt and crushed black pepper. Heat butter in a 12-inch, heavy bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Once butter is hot, add steaks and cook until browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare and 3 minutes per side for medium. Remove steaks from pan and place on a rack set on a sheet pan; place in oven to keep warm.
Add the stock to the saute pan and whisk until the crispy bits release from bottom of pan. Allow the liquid to reduce for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add cognac, heavy cream, and green peppercorns to the pan. Increase heat to high and cook, whisking continually, until sauce thickens slightly, just enough to coat the back of a spoon; this will take 5 to 7 minutes.
Season the sauce, to taste, with kosher salt. Place steaks on plates, top with sauce, and serve immediately.
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By shrew2u_4717110
Long Beach, CA
on December 30, 2011
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This is a very simple recipe that packs a heck of a punch with flavor. I could eat a shoe covered in that sauce, which I practically did, because my strip steaks had been sitting in the freezer for a few months. My toddlers - who normally dislike steak - asked for seconds, and my husband pronounced this "a keeper". Even my freezer-burned steaks were lovely, since I gave them an abbreviated dry-aging treatment as seen on the "Raising the Steaks" episode. It is worth the time to take a pound of unsalted butter, clarify it and keep it in the fridge. The clarified butter can handle the heat you need to sear the steak before making the sauce, while adding a distinct flavor that I doubt can be replicated using oil instead of clarified butter.
By schwantzi
Bucharest - Rom...
on December 17, 2011
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I have tried before to make the pepper cream sauce as I am just crazy about it...but no luck!
This time I felt like I hit the jackpot! Just wished I would have doubled the recipe. I cooked this for two - so 2 steaks and it yielded about a cup of sauce. We used it all and I personally could have used some more :.
I did not find the green peppers in brine or dried so I got a bag of mixed peppers then handpicked the green peppers and the RED peppers from it (reds are not nearly as hot as the green or black ones I soaked the selected peppers in some hot water for a few hours before cooking and it turned out really great. Peppers got softer.
Try this recipe if you love "pfeffer steak". For me it works best with grilled vegetables as a side dish: potatoes, asparagus, red bell pepper, zuchinni, tomatoes, eggplant, onion etc. - in any combination.
Thank you for this recipe! It's truly truly EXCELENT!
By benrob618
on October 04, 2011
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Didn't have cognac so used brandy instead. My family loved it! Steaks had great flavor and were done quickly. Sauce took a few minutes to whip up and came out great! I will definitely use this recipe again.
Read all 49 reviews