Steak au Poivre

by Jim Price
Falmouth MA, jprice@whoi.edu
Version 1.1, January, 2005

We love beef Stroganoff and steak au poivre, and so have created a dish that combines features of both.  And yes, it does look a lot like Thai beef salad.  If you enjoy beef and are not intimidated by cholesterol, you may love this dish. We show it served over egg noodles and were thinking of calling it Stroganoff au poivre, but it is closest to being a variant of steak au poivre.  Crispy fried potatoes are excellent in place of noodles.  

Ingredients for two servings

• A very high quality beef steak, ribeye or filet; about 3 oz per person is usually sufficient.
• 3/4 cup light cream
• 1 Tbl of cognac;  Madeira or whiskey could be substituted
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 Tbl olive oil and butter
• beef boullion concentrate, enough for one cup of full-flavored beef broth
• coarse-ground black pepper, salt.

Preparation

Season the steak with lots of fresh ground black pepper and a little salt. Add the oil and butter to a skillet and heat until almost smoking then add the steak. Cook over fairly high heat, about 3-4 minutes per side.  When you think the steak might be done, remove to a warm oven for holding. There should be appreciable oil left in the skillet.  Add the onion and then the mushrooms and saute for about 4 minutes. Dissolve the beef boullion in a few Tbl of water, and add to the skillet along with the cream. Cook while stirring over medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken, then add the cognac. Check for salt. You may also want to add 1-2 tsp of Maggi or similar seasoning,

To serve, you can either slice the steak and put it on top of the noodles with a little sauce, or leave the steak whole. This goes well with a lighter red wine, Pinot Noir or Beaujolais Nouveau. Enjoy!