Steak Au Poivre

Directions

Preparations:

1. Rinse steaks and pat dry.

2. Place peppercorns on a small plate and press the steaks into the peppercorns on both sides. Cover and set aside for one hour at room temperature.

3. Preheat the oven to 220°.

4. In a heavy saucepan or skillet over medium high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the steaks immediately and sear each side for two minutes.

5. Using a tong, before removing the steaks from the pan, pick the steaks up one at a time and carefully sear the sides of the steak, while holding the steak with the tongs. About one minute per steak.

6. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the seared steaks onto an ovenproof plate and cover with foil. Place the steaks in the preheated oven and shut the oven off.

7. Return the pan to medium high heat and melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and any remaining peppercorns from the plate. Do not let the butter brown.

8. Add the cognac in two batches to keep flame reasonable. The pan will ignite impressively, but then will quickly subside. Keep the pan lid close at hand to subdue should you need, or remove the pan from the heat and add the cognac to eliminate any flare-ups. Allow the cognac to reduce down to about half, stirring occasionally to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

9. Stir in the broth and continue to cook, reducing down to ¼ cup, or until sauce starts to thicken.

10. Whisk in the cream and a pinch of salt and allow the cream to slightly caramelize to a rich cognac color, whisking occasionally. This will take about 3 minutes. Remove sauce from heat.

11. To serve, place the steaks on plates and sprinkle with salt. Spoon the sauce over the steaks. Accompany with any kind of potatoes and vegetable of your liking.