I took some Filet Mignon out of the freezer yesterday, and was just planning on doing the usual… Which is having Stephan grill them and serve with mashed potatoes. I do this quite often… its easy, quick, and I have someone else to cook the meat. Then I started to feel fancy, and thought what makes a steak fancy? Why fancy-pants multi-colored peppercorns, of course! I just so happened to have some gorgeous peppercorns my mother in law gave me at Christmas. So I detoured at the last minute and decided upon Steak au Poivre. If you don’t like pepper, this is NOT the dish for you. However, if you love the flavor of freshly cracked peppercorns… which I do, this is it!
I served it with mashed potatoes and oven roasted brussel sprouts. Those of you who are wary of the brussel sprout, have clearly not had them oven roasted before. They are beautifully crisp on the outside and tender and sweet inside. Who woulda thought? There is, however, an unfortunate side effect to roasting brussel sprouts. That would be a VERY stinky house. I suggest you light many scented candles before starting the roasting process!
Steak au Poivre Recipe
2 tbsp peppercorns (black or multi-colored)
2 small filet mignons
kosher salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
1 shallot, minced
1/2 c red wine
3 tbsp cream
1. Crush the peppercorns. I placed them on a paper plate and used the smooth side of my meat mallet to gently crush them. You can also place them in a plastic bag and using a meat mallet or small heavy pot to crush them. Sprinkle on a small plate.
2. Take the filets out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you plan to cook. Generously sprinkle with kosher salt and then place on the plate with the crushed peppercorns. Press down firmly to make sure the steak is completely covered with peppercorns. Repeat with the other side of the steak.
3. Heat the oil in a small heavy saute pan over medium high heat until almost smoking. Gently place the pepper crusted steaks in the saute pan and sear for about two minutes. Flip and sear the other side for another minute or so. Remove steaks to a plate.
4. Remove pan from the heat and let cool until no longer smoking, a minute or two. Add the butter and then the shallot. Saute the shallot until transparent, 2 minutes.
5. Carefully pour in the red wine, simmer for 1 minute and then add the cream. Swirl pan to incorporate, bring to a simmer and add the steaks. Let the sauce simmer while the steaks finish cooking. My steaks only needed maybe 2 minutes until they were medium rare, but they were pretty small. Once your steaks are cooked to your liking, remove the steaks and continue simmering until the sauce is thick, another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and then strain the sauce and serve over the steaks.
Makes 2 Servings
Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts
10-15 brussel sprouts, about 3/4 pound
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well to coat the brussel sprouts. Pour into a small roasting pan and roast for 35-40 minutes. Shake the pan every so often to ensure the brussel sprouts brown evenly.
Makes 2 Servings
Aaron K 1874 DAYS AGO
It’s too bad you couldn’t grill the brussel sprouts. But I understand why you wouldn’t fire-up the grill for just a few veggies. Another gorgeous dish Candace. -Aaron
Katie 1874 DAYS AGO
My husband’s two favorite things! Steak and brussel sprouts. He’d DIE for this meal!
Stephan (MP) 1874 DAYS AGO
Meat and potatoes…got to love it.
Aran 1874 DAYS AGO
Gorgeous, gorgeous photos! And you can never go wrong with steak au poivre!
peabody 1874 DAYS AGO
And with brussel sprouts to boot. Oh I love those. My hubby would be all over the steak and I would eat his “green things” on the plate. Looks super tasty.
Sarah 1874 DAYS AGO
I love Steak au poivre. And just last week I roasted my first brussel sprouts with some dill and lime juice. They may be my new favorite veggie!
melissa 1874 DAYS AGO
there he goes taking those amazing photos again. jeez.
steak au poivre is something I had actually considered making already but hadn’t hunted down a recipe or really remembered to put it on my list. I will now! that looks juicy and savory. perfect.
Rachel 1873 DAYS AGO
Wow! That steak looks amazing. Thanks for sharing!
Luke 1872 DAYS AGO
Brussels sprout are soon underrated. I just found out how to roast them a while ago, and they are totally different that way!
Angela 1872 DAYS AGO
Oh my god, don’t you just love a good steak au poivre? This looks delicious. Those photos are making me drool!
chiffonade 1871 DAYS AGO
I love steak au poivre! There is a real tightrope to be walked between a nice hit of spice and setting someone’s mouth on fire. So many restaurants get it wrong. Yours looks awesome (and rare steak rules!). That photo of the roasted brussels sprouts also has inspired me to try them. Roasted is the only way my BF will eat brussels sprouts and that picture certainly looks inviting.
Kevin 1869 DAYS AGO
That steak looks so good! Nice photos!
TaratheFoodie 1858 DAYS AGO
You know my favorite thing about your site is the way you can plate food. I mean, your food always looks like it’s cooked beautifully, but the plating is what always tickles my fancy. If you’re ever in Cleveland, I wish you would stop by and give me a quick “Plating 101″ class – I would SO appreciate it!
Maki 1855 DAYS AGO
You know, everyweek we go to the grocery store, I see those brussel sprouts but I still don’t have the courage to buy them. I’m mustering it up :)
We too had peppered steaks a few weeks back. I love freshly cracked peppercorns! yum.