Steak Au Poivre is a classic French recipe for juicy, peppery beef tenderloin and rich pan sauce made with cream, cognac, and peppercorns.
If you’ve tried my guide for the Perfect Ribeye, you know that the best steak can easily be made in a cast iron skillet! This recipe is a classic yet fancy steak Dinner anyone can master. For a simplified version that delivers the same components, try my Cube Steak with Gravy.
Sabrina’s Steak Au Poivre Recipe
Steak au Poivre is a French dish and fancy dinner for two similar to Steak Diane, only simpler to make. The creamy sauce is made with just peppercorns, heavy cream, and cognac, and the peppery berries balance the rich cut of beef. This recipe is made with more expensive filet mignon so it is perfect for special, intimate occasions like a loved one’s birthday or Valentine’s Day.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 beef tenderloin steaks , about 8 ounces, (filet mignon)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns , crushed coarsely
- 1/4 cup Cognac
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Add butter to a small cast iron skillet (just bigger than your steaks) on high heat.
- Season steaks all over with salt and pepper, pressing the pepper into the steaks to help it stick.
- Reserve any pepper that doesn’t stick.
- Sear the steaks on each side for 3 minutes until browned, then place in oven for 4 minutes for rare, 5-6 minutes for medium, or more for well done.
- Remove from the oven and remove steaks from the pan to a plate you cover with foil to let steaks rest.
- Add the cognac to the pan, stir well and then with a long lighter (like those you’d use for a fireplace), ignite the cognac and let it cook for about 15 seconds until the flames extinguish themselves.
- Stir well then add in the heavy cream and remaining peppercorns that you reserved (if you had any).
- Bring to a boil and stir well until thickened enough to pour like a sauce instead of a soup, about 5-6 minutes.
- Serve over rested steaks.
Nutrition
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Table of Contents
About This Recipe
Steak Au Poivre isn’t a meal you make in bulk or throw into the oven or crockpot, but it’s also a lot easier than the name suggests. In fact, Au Poivre simply means served with a lot of pepper and that exactly describes this dish with it’s thick peppercorn crust and more peppercorn in the sauce! There are some key points in this post to help you make this fancy French dish like a pro, but the main skills you need are patience and preparation.
Side Dish Ideas
Turn this into a romantic steakhouse dinner with side dishes like Morton’s Creamed Spinach and Mashed Potatoes. Another classic side for this steak is Pommes Frites, also known as Shoestring French Fries. They are light and crispy, with just the right amount of oil, and perfect for dipping in leftover sauce.
Tips & Tricks
- Skillet: Use a small skillet, either a heavy duty skillet or cast iron skillet, just big enough for the steaks. Do not use a nonstick skillet, you want your pan to heat fast and stay hot and nonstick pans are slow to heat.
- Meat: Cold meat straight from the refrigerator won’t cook evenly or quickly enough. Leave the beef at room temperature for 30 minutes before seasoning and adding to the skillet.
- Peppercorns: You want cracked peppercorns, not ground pepper. Green peppercorns, pink peppercorns, and black peppercorns are going to be the easiest to find in stores, but any variety or blend will work.
- Flambe: Flambe to burn off the alcohol taste from the cognac and leave the deep, spiced brandy flavor. Use a long match or lighter and keep a lid handy in case the flames don’t go out. You can turn off the heat before igniting and then turn the heat back to low once the alcohol burns off.
- Rest: Rest the steak before slicing and while you make the sauce. If you cut steak too soon all the juices run out and you are left with a tough, dry piece of meat. When you are cooking filet mignon, this hurts your wallet and your tastebuds!
How to Store
- Serve: Rest the meat for at least 15 minutes before adding the sauce and serving. Do not slice steak without resting it first. It can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Store: Store the sauce and the meat separately in airtight containers. Bring meat to room temperature before reheating in the oven so it doesn’t dry out or overcook. Heat the sauce in a sauce pan over medium low, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t separate.
- Freeze: The sauce and filet mignon are both better fresh and the sauce does not freeze well. If you want to freeze the steak, place in a sealed container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and bring to room temperature before reheating on low heat in the oven.
Variations
- Steak: You can make Steak Au Poivre with New York strip, porterhouse, or ribeye. For a budget-friendly dinner, use the creamy, peppery sauce on Grilled Pork Chops or Chicken Breasts.
- Veggies: Other traditional vegetable seasonings to add to the sauce are shallots, onions, garlic, or mushrooms. Saute the veggies in the browned bits (the fond) until soft before adding the cognac and finishing the sauce.
- Cream: Instead of heavy cream, you can add Creme Fraiche. You can lighten up the sauce by using ½ heavy cream and ½ beef broth.
- Mustard: Slather both sides of the steak with Dijon mustard or stone ground mustard before pressing into the peppercorns and salt. This will help the crust stick and add another layer of flavor.
The following photos were used from prior versions of this post:
Have not made this yet, it looks so yum! My question, I didn’t see the mustard in the ingredient list. Did I miss something here? How would you incorporate the dijon mustard in this recipe? Thank you!
I was just including that as a variation to this recipe, just a way to change it up if you so choose. Mustard isn’t part of the original recipe. I hope you enjoy it!