RECIPE | STEAK AU POIVRE

     On our last date night we ventured over to Durham for some fine French cooking at Vin Rouge. That memorable meal later inspired a blazing passion in Daniel to try his hand at a classic French dish, Steak au poivre. I knew that this vaguely had to do with steak (duh) and peppercorn, and that at some point I'd had a bite of something similar at Poole's, but when Daniel introduced the idea I did not realize either how dangerous or how tasty this adventure was about to become. First of all, we started with high-quality steaks picked up at the Farmer's Market. They were grass-fed and free range and had all the other label claims that help you feel like the extra money you just shelled out is really worth the guilt-assuaging hope that this cow presumably led a happy, full life roaming about in some idyllic pasture. Call me a sucker for marketing, but the steaks were in fact incredibly good. We prepared the steaks with some salt, crusted them with peppercorn and then seared them in our cast-iron skillet, which Daniel also used for the creamy sauce. The sauce is where things got exciting/terrifying. Usually the sauce calls for reduced cognac, but being regrettably short of cognac at the time, we subbed in bourbon. Daniel warned me that he was going to set the bourbon on fire, but because he frequently attempts to play little tricks on me I assumed that was a joke. Well, needless to say I was so shocked and terrified when he actually struck the match and created flames so high they were licking the ceiling of our kitchen that I forgot to snap a photo. Just trust me, it was very impressive...though probably not safe at all. While Daniel was in charge of the main affair, I chipped in a meager side offering of roasted potatoes. No showy flames, but I did use rosemary grown in my very own garden. Is that impressive?

     Once my terror subsided, I was able to enjoy the fruits of Daniel's labor. The steak au poivre was rich and spicy and complex and decadent and totally worth nearly burning our house down. My potatoes added some balance to the plate but otherwise weren't terribly impressive...but did I feel any shame about my lame potatoes while I was licking the cream sauce off of my plate?! No. Absolutely not. 

     And a final word about our wine pairing: the Bordeaux pictured above is one of our Trader Joe's staples. It is cheap and not terribly complex or interesting, but I can't really find much fault with a decent red for around six bucks. It held up nicely against such a rich meal and is generally easy on the palate. 

We used bits of these two recipes to come up with our own version of Steak au Poivre:

Julia Child
Alton Brown 


Sarah