Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

One of my favourite steak sauces – a creamy Peppercorn Sauce made with brandy or cognac, beef broth/stock, cream and plenty of crushed peppercorns. The creamy pepper sauce with juicy steak is a match made in heaven and calls for just 4 ingredients. FOUR!!!

Creamy Peppercorn Sauce – a Steakhouse classic

Creamy Peppercorn Sauce was always my first choice at steakhouses which I frequented quite regularly back in my corporate days. Having traded in suits and heels for an apron, there’s no corporate lunches for me anymore. I make my steaks at home!

There are a handful of truly great sauces in this world that are deceptively simple to make, and this creamy pepper sauce for steak is one of them. It’s the same sauce used in Steak au Poivre, a French classic, except the steak is not crusted with cracked peppercorns so there is more in the sauce. This recipe is more straightforward because you don’t have to worry about burning cracked peppercorns when searing the steak or finishing the steak in the oven to avoid that problem.

How to make Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

This is an exceptionally simple sauce to make with few ingredients, making for a quick dinner any night:

• Cook steak to your taste, then remove and rest while you make the sauce;

• Make sauce: In the same pan, add brandy or cognac, simmer rapidly for 1 minute until the alcohol smell is gone;

• Add beef broth/stock, and simmer rapidly until it reduces by half (intensifies the flavour);

• Stir through cream and crushed peppercorns. Serve over steak!

TIPS:

• The alcohol brings incredible depth of flavour to the sauce, it’s the secret ingredient. Classic creamy peppercorn sauce is made cognac or brandy, but I’ve made this plenty of times with marsala too. I love ’em all!

• Using freshly crushed peppercorns are best for a really great pepper flavour. Or use canned green peppercorns for less heat.

PS Note how I’m searing the sides of the steak ↑↑↑ Always sear the fat strip. Nobody likes a big fat rubbery strip of fat on their steak!

Quick for midweek!

Serve it up with Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Paris Mash and a quick Garlic Spinach side for a true Steakhouse experience! – Nagi x

PS It’s worth getting a decent steak for this one. If you get a really good value economy steak, try my Steak Marinade instead – it will tenderise and add subtle flavour. 🙂

Try these on the side:

• For a Steakhouse experience – Paris Mash and Garlic Sautéed Spinach

• Lemon Roasted Potatoes or Lemon Potato Salad

• Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Potatoes au Gratin

• Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

• Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

And more great steak sauces:

• A Mushroom Sauce for Steak

• Béarnaise sauce

• Garlic Thyme Butter Basted Steak – a simple, amazing Cheffy technique for cooking steak

• Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

• Mushroom Gravy – use the sauce in this Chicken with Mushroom Gravy

• Beef Steak Marinade

• Asian Steak Sauce

Creamy peppercorn sauce for steak
Watch how to make it

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Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Author: Nagi

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 12 minutes mins

Total: 17 minutes mins

4.93 from 68 votes

Servings2

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Recipe video above. One of the best steak sauces in this world, this is the creamy peppercorn sauce used in Steak au Poivre. It's super simple because it's made using the steak drippings and either brandy or cognac. The alcoholic taste is cooked out and you're left with an amazing sweet/savoury/creamy sauce with great depth of flavour and beautiful pops of heat from the peppercorns.

Use crushed black peppercorns for spicier or canned green peppercorns for more mild heat (I much prefer black, not really a fan of green canned).

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 300g/10oz New York Strip / Porterhouse steaks (or other of choice, Note 1)
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce:

• ▢ 1/3 cup (85 ml) brandy or cognac (or marsala) (Note 2)
• ▢ 3/4 cup (185 ml) beef broth/stock , low sodium (important! Note 3)
• ▢ 1/2 cup (125 ml) cream , heavy/thickened
• ▢ 2 – 3 tsp coarsely crushed whole black peppercorns (or canned green peppercorns, drained) (Note 4)

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Instructions

• Take the steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes before planning to cook.
• Crush the pepper using a rolling pin, mortar and pestle or the side of a hardy knife.

Steaks:

• Just before cooking, sprinkle both sides of steak generously with salt and black pepper.
• Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking.
• Add steaks and cook the first side for 2 minutes until it has a great crust, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes (for medium rare).
• Stack the steaks on top of each other, then use tongs to sear the fat strip.
• Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil to rest while you make the sauce.

Sauce:

• Add brandy or cognac into the same skillet and let it simmer rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pan, until it has mostly reduced and you can no longer smell the harsh alcohol smell (~1 min).
• Add broth, bring to simmer and let it simmer rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes or until it reduces by half.
• Turn heat down to medium. Add cream and pepper, stir, then simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it thickens (do not let it boil rapidly).
• Taste sauce, adjust salt (and pepper!) to taste.
• Transfer steaks to warmed serving plates. Spoon over sauce. Serve immediately! Pictured with Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Garlic Spinach. (Note 6)

Recipe Notes:

1. Use a decent quality steak for this recipe. If using a very economical steak, I’d recommend my steak marinade instead of this recipe – it will tenderise and infuse with great flavour!

2. If you can’t use alcohol, use the recipe in Note 5 and instead of using brandy in step 1, add 1/4 cup of non alcoholic red wine or water.

3. Do not make this sauce with full salt beef broth. The sauce will end up too salty because it’s reduced down. If you only have full salt beef stock, then follow the recipe in Note 5 (in the same skillet) and use only 1/3 cup of beef broth and add 1/3 cup of water in place of the beef broth int he recipe. The extra flavour steps will compensate for use of less broth.

4. Black peppercorns are spicier which I like for this recipe. Little pops of heat tempered by the sweetness and creaminess of the sauce. Canned green peppercorns are not as spicy and have a milder flavour.

5. Peppercorn Sauce without pan drippings – If you make the steaks on the BBQ and still want this sauce, make the recipe as follows: Melt 1.5 tbsp / 25g butter in a skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp very finely chopped eschallots/shallots (the small purple onions) and sauté gently for 1 minute. Then add brandy or cognac per recipe, increase heat to high. Proceed with recipe.

6. Garlic Spinach or Silverbeet: Heat olive oil in a skillet, add garlic, cook for 20 seconds, add spinach and stir until just starting to wilt. Remove, set aside, proceed with steak.

7. Nutrition is for sauce only because the nutrition of steaks varies so significantly, even for the same cut depending on how thick the fat strip is etc. The recipe makes about 3/4 cup of sauce which is enough for 2 steaks – it’s rich and fairly intense flavoured so you don’t need tons.

Nutrition Facts

Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 352 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Fat 28g43%

Saturated Fat 19g119%

Cholesterol 81mg27%

Sodium 187mg8%

Potassium 224mg6%

Carbohydrates 1g0%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 875IU18%

Calcium 39mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 352cal (18%)Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 2g (4%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 19g (119%)Cholesterol: 81mg (27%)Sodium: 187mg (8%)Potassium: 224mg (6%)Vitamin A: 875IU (18%)Calcium: 39mg (4%)

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