Filet au Poivre

Food

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Filet au Poivre

Ingredients: 

• 4 (6-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks
• 1 small shallot
• 2 tablespoons whole peppercorns, black or a mix if you have them. 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 cup Cognac or brandy
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

A few notes on making this: 

• Check the sauce for seasoning as you cook—it can tend to become too salty very quickly. Using unsalted butter will help keep this from happening. 

Directions:

• Remove any twine from 4 beef tenderloin steaks and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
• Finely mince 1 small shallot. 
• Coarsely crush 2 tablespoons whole peppercorns in a mortar and pestle if you have one, or place the peppercorns in a paper towel and roll a rolling pin or glass gently over them to crush. 
• Transfer crushed peppercorns to plate. 
• Season the steaks all over with 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
• Using tongs, grip each steak and press into the crushed pepper on the plate, making sure to coat both sides. 
• Heat a large stainless steel skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke. 
• Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the unsalted butter, then add the steaks and cook until medium-rare and a brown crust forms—2 to 3 minutes per side (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the steak should register about 130°F). 
• Transfer the steaks to a plate and cover with foil to rest. 
• Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 tablespoon of butter, shallot, and thyme.  Sauté until the shallot is translucent, about 1 minute. 
• Remove the pan from the heat and add 1/4 cup Cognac. 
• Return pan to medium heat and simmer, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, 1 to 2 minutes—until reduced by about half. 
• Add 1/2 cup beef stock and increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon unsalted butter.
• Stir until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove thyme sprigs and stir in mustard and accumulated juices from the steak plate. 
• Serve steaks on a bed of the sauce, with more sauce spooned on top.