Steak au poivre with mustard sauce

July 20, 2010

Steak au poivre with mustard sauce
Simple to Spectacular by Jean- Georges Vongerichten & Mark Gittman, pg 276

1 ½ to 2 pounds boneless ribeye or sirloin steaks, about 1” thick
salt
4 T cracked black pepper, more or less
2 T butter
2 T neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed
1 T cognac
¼ cup Dijon mustard
½ cup heavy cream

Sprinkle the steaks with salt and press about 1 tsp of pepper into each side of the steaks. Put the butter and oil in a 10 or 12 inch skillet and turn the heat to medium high. When the butter melts, turn the heat to high and add the steaks. Cook until almost done, 3 to 4 minutes per side for rare. Turn off the heat and transfer the steaks to a warm platter in the oven.

Add the cognac to the pan, turn the heat to low and stir, then add the mustard and cream. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low.

Add the steaks and any accumulated juices to the sauce and turn once or twice. Serve.

How I did it: I used the only boneless steak that Trader Joe’s had that day. They were small sirloins. I pounded them between waxed paper for a bit. Everything I was serving with the steaks (steamed Swiss chard, broiled asparagus) is very quick cooking so it all had to be done at once. I didn’t have cognac and I don’t use cream, so I didn’t do the sauce as described. I melted butter in a sauce pan, added white wine and Dijon mustard. It was thin, but decent.

The steaks turned out really nice. They were fabulous. The sauce was good enough (would have been fabulous if I could have used the cream!)