For Brandi - and Whomever Else is Curious about Steak

One of my most avid blog readers and commentors, Brandi, seemed quite impressed with our dinner of steak sauce and a red wine reduction.

In all honesty, it is super easy to make and Brian usually takes care of it - in about 15 minutes. Anyone can do it! It IS delicious!

Here's the recipe if anyone is interested. Because I'm not the pioneer woman and going to take pictures of me making it at every step:

2 Tb of a mixture of several kinds of peppercorns, or white peppercorns
2 to 2 1/2 lbs. steak 3/4 to 1 inch thick

A hot platter
Salt

1 Tb butter
2 Tb minced shallots or green onions
1/2 cup stock or canned beef bouillon
1/3 cup cognac
3 to 4 Tb softened butter
Sauteed or fried potatoes
Fresh water cress

Place the peppercorns in a big mixing bowl and crush them roughly with a pestle or the bottom of a bottle.

Dry the steaks on paper towels. Rub and press the crush peppercorns into both sides of the meat with your fingers and the palms of your hands. Cover with waxed paper. let stand for at least half an hour; two or 3 hours are even better, so the flavor of the pepper will penetrate the meat.

Sauté the steak in hot oil and butter as described in the preceding master recipe. Remove to a hot platter, season with salt, and keep warm for a moment while completing the sauce.

Pour the fat out of the skillet. Add the butter and shallots or green onions and cook slowly for a minute. Pour in the stock or bouillon and boil down rapidly over high heat while scraping up the coagulated cooking juices. Then add the cognac and boil rapidly for a minute or two more to evaporate its alcohol. Off heat, swirl in the butter and half-tablespoon at a time. Decorate the platter with the potatoes and water cress. Pour the sauce over the steak, and serve.

From:

http://cookingwithjulian.blogspot.com/2011/05/julia-childs-steak-au-poivre.html

Notes:

Where it says:

Sauté the steak in hot oil and butter as described in the preceding master recipe.

First, you heat the oil and butter together in the pan. You'll see the butter melt. And then you will start to see the butter bubbles subside. This is when you know your oil/butter is hot enough to ear the steaks. Important step and thing to notice.

Second, if you are afraid of cholesterol, you shouldn't try this recipe.

Thirdly, make it according to the recipe the first time to know what it is SUPPOSED to taste like. Afterwards, I take all sorts of shortcuts because I'm lazy. Like, I don't hand crush my own peppercorns. I just use a pepper mill. And if I'm super behind, I just marinate for 30 minutes or not at all. Of course, it's not as good. But if I'm hungry, I won't care.

Fourth, if you want to make a red wine reduction, you just substitute the cognac with red wine and reduce it to cook off the alcohol.

Hope that helps! Make the sweet potatoes in the microwave while the steak is cooking!

P