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Active Time
35 min
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Total Time
35 min
We've run at least a dozen different recipes for steak au poivre since our first one, in 1953 — and there's a reason why, even after we started adorning meat with chiles, salts, and dry rubs, we continue to return to this dish. Why? Because it's so darn good. And despite its somewhat macho image, this particular preparation tastes practically tony. (We found it a good excuse to use fine-quality peppercorns, such as Tellicherry or the smoky, meaty Talamanca del Caribe.)
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°F.
Step 2
Pat steaks dry and season both sides with kosher salt.
Step 3
Coarsely crush peppercorns in a sealed plastic bag with a meat pounder or bottom of a heavy skillet, then press pepper evenly onto both sides of steaks.
Step 4
Heat a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately high heat until hot, about 3 minutes, then add oil, swirling skillet, and sauté steaks in 2 batches, turning over once, about 6 minutes per batch for medium-rare.
Step 5
Transfer steaks as cooked to a heatproof platter and keep warm in oven while making sauce.
Step 6
Pour off fat from skillet, then add shallots and half of butter (2 tablespoons) to skillet and cook over moderately low heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until shallots are well-browned all over, 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 7
Add Cognac (use caution; it may ignite) and boil, stirring, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cream and any meat juices accumulated on platter and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over low heat, swirling skillet, until butter is incorporated. Serve sauce with steaks.
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Reviews (60)
Back to TopMade this with filet mignons for Valentine’s Day. It came out awesome! I put the cast iron skillet on a charcoal grill to cook the meat then brought it in and finished the rest on the stove.
Rickfic
2/15/2023
A classic recipe that is pretty easy to prepare. Rich and flavorful, I made it for New Years Eve dinner and was a hit with the whole family. Our steaks were fairly thick and I cooked them for 4 minutes per side and they came out perfectly rare, so if you're looking for medium rare you might want to cook a bit longer.
Anonymous
Oakland, Ca
1/6/2022
Honestly, I feel like a dingaling that I was "this many" years old before learning that steak au poivre, one of my favorite childhood restaurant dishes, was a simple pan sauce. This recipe is perfection, and so easy. Happy to have this easy weeknight dinner in the repertoire now!
Anonymous
Vermont
6/2/2021
Why mess with perfection, particularly when it's so simple? I can't believe I'd never tried to make this before - it was a dish I fell in love with as a child. I wouldn't call what I did modifications so much as adapting the recipe to what I had on hand: I used a touch less butter than the recipe called for out of sheer laziness - I just used what I'd already had in the freezer in lumps of varying sizes. And I sautéed the steaks without adding any oil to the cast iron pan - it was seasoned enough. I finely chopped one small shallot and did not measure that, but it wasn't more than 1/2 cup. And I used 4 top sirloin steaks of about 4 - 5 oz each. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. Weeknight steak au poive, where have you been all my life and how did I get to this many years without cooking you?
Anonymous
Vermont
5/21/2021
Absolutely outstanding. I followed it as much as I could. Yes, I used salted butter and no scallion so finely chopped an onion were my subs. Turned out so good! Made smashed parm. potatoes and roasted brussels, so so good!
142conniesmith
Florida
11/8/2020
Absolutely flawless and delicious as long as you follow it to a T. Make sure to use unsalted butter. Learned my lesson the first time, but still good. Way better the second time. I used Christian Bro’s. VS both times. Literally one of the best meals you can make... and if you do the steak portion for 2 and make the sauce for 4, you have awesome sauce for frites.
MarcusF
Chico, CA
6/11/2020
Simply perfect. Made using filet mignon and served with roasted potato wedges and asparagus. Obviously, the cook on the meat matters, but this sauce is ridiculously awesome. All the fancy "twists" over the years just don't measure up to this pretty classic version.
laholladay
Howell, MI
12/26/2015
I was looking for a quick recipe (30 min before I was supposed to serve dinner) and thought I would take a chance. My girlfriend said this was the best steak I have ever made. I'll play around with it in the future but for now its perfect!
meretrix
Seattle, WA
2/28/2015
delicious.
Anonymous
Richardson Texas
11/26/2014
Perfect, easy, relatively quick. Followed the recipe - except - added 3/4 cup of oyster mushrooms to the shallot sauce. Served with young asparagus and roasted garlic mashed potatos.
Troutness
Palo Alto, CA
11/15/2014
Fabulous! Easy! Perfect dish... First time I made it I was hooked. Didn't have shallots so I used my own freshly harvested baby onion. Can't go wrong with this one...
purityfarms
Hartland, WI
8/11/2014
Fantastic. I cooked the steak a little differently. I used the America's Test Kitchen family cookbook method and only peppered one side of the steak and pressed down while on the skillet with a large pot to apply even pressure. This cooked it to a perfect mid rare and evenly throughout. I served it up with some scalloped potato gratin with creme fraiche (also from epi). Going to try this with a fresh herb sauce next time and maybe some local mushrooms. Can't wait to do it again. (Plus now I have a bottle of brandy to drink/cook with!)
Booties
Philadelphia
6/3/2012
This dish has become our New Year's Eve tradition, along with goat cheese potato gratin and chocolate mousse (also on this site). The sauce is absolutely perfect. We made small plates for our daughter and her friend who spent the early part of their evening with us and the friend's comment was, "It's like eating in a restaurant!". High praise indeed. Thank you, Gourmet and Epicurious!
Anonymous
Oak Park IL
1/1/2011
I have made this on a few occasions and I love, love, love it. I like to substitute a peppercorn blend sometimes instead of just black. Either way it is a must try.
Anonymous
Detroit, MI
8/17/2010
YUM. although I was a little confused about how much to cook the steak, given that it was going to sit in the oven for 10 minutes while I made the sauce.
Anonymous
NYC
4/17/2010
