Classic Steak Au Poivre recipe (2024)

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My Classic Steak Au Poivre recipeis a beautiful, delicious dinner recipe for a sophisticated meal. Perfectly cooked steak and a creamy, savory sauce are a combination that will delight your tastebuds. Save it now so you can make it later.

I stopped by one of our local Butcher’s this week and I’m always inspired to try something new when I’m there. Faced with all the meat options, recipes start running through my head. Every time I visit the butcher or the Italian grocery store in town it’s an inspiration to me. I get so excited about making good food. Admittedly, sometimes I buy too much because I think I will magically be granted extra time in all of my days to cook and recipe test. That never happens. 🙂 But I’m a firm believer that good food always needs to be made.

There were some beautiful steak options at the butcher and I couldn’t pass those up. I had been wanting to make a Steak Au Poivre recipe for awhile and knew this would be the perfect opportunity. My kids have really taken to steak lately, which is something I’m excited about because they could both use more protein in their lives. Plus, any chance I have to expose them to new flavors or a cultural dish is a chance I’m going to take. Additionally, Kevin loves a good steak so I knew a Steak Au Poivre recipe could make all of us happy.

What is Steak Au Poivre?

Steak Au Poivre is a classic French dish. It is a pan seared steak with a peppercorn crust and a creamy pan sauce. That does not sound hard, right? It’s not. However, for some reason I think people are intimidated by Steak Au Poivre recipes. Maybe because it is French? Maybe because it has Cognac in it? Whatever the case, I’m here to tell you that this exquisite, simple dish is something you can make to wow any family member or guest.

I’ve been making a lot of French dishes in this season of life. I’ve really been inspired by their simple ingredients and classic, uncomplicated cooking techniques. No fancy devices required. Just a good pan. I’m a fan of simple ingredients, of spices, of fresh herbs and butter. I believe the Earth gives us good things and all delicious things can be made with the ingredients the Earth gives back to us. Steak Au Poivre combines all of that in the most beautiful way.

What is Cognac?

Cognac is a type of Brandy that is made in Cognac, France. It is produced by distilling it twice and – much like Champagne – is made from grapes from a specific growing region in France. Cognac matures in a way that is very similar to barrel-aged wine and whisky. Although, usually, it spends more time “on the wood” than is legally required to be considered Cognac.

Like French Champagne, Cognac is fairly costly in the United States. This could be why most people consider this dish to be so sophisticated and fancy, but also so intimidating. If the alcohol you are using in Steak Au Poivre $60 a bottle, I can see why people would be a little timid about making the dish.

However, you use Cognac in Steak Au Poivre just as you would use wine in any other dish. It’s essentially used to deglaze the pan and create a robust, flavorful base for the pan cream sauce. And let me tell you, it does just that!

The cut of steak

The steak people use for Steak Au Poivre seems to oscillate between two cuts – filet mignon and New York Strip Steak. Traditionally, it is made with Filet Mignon. I had New York Strip Steak from the Butcher though so away I went with using that. In my Steak Au Poivre recipe you can use whichever you prefer. The cooking time for a medium to medium rare Filet Mignon is usually closer to 4-5 minutes per side versus my cooking time for the New York Strip Steak at 3-4 minutes per side.

You could also use a tenderloin that has been sliced too. Just remember, the better the meat, the better the final dish.

The crust on Steak Au Poivre

What makes Steak Au Poivre “famous” is it’s peppercorn crust. This gives the meat and the pan sauce a beautiful, unique flavor with just a hint of spice. If you’re not a fan of spice I still believe you will love this dish. Both my kids ate it and said it was delicious and they are not fans of spice, at all. And when I say spice I don’t mean like jalapeno spice. I mean spice in a very classic, traditional way – if that makes any sense at all.

Cooking the meat

Steak Au Poivre is seared over a medium to high heat so that the crust can form on the outside of the meat while allowing the inside to cook in just a few minutes to rare to medium rare. I start by adding the steak to a pan that has a little extra virgin olive oil in it. Olive oil has a higher burn rate than butter so if you’re at all nervous about cooking this meal, using olive oil as opposed to butter is a better way to start off the sear process.

Once one side has cooked, I flip the steaks over and add thyme, garlic and butter. Once the butter melts (in about 30 seconds, I very carefully tilt the pan with an oven mitt on and spoon the butter sauce over the steak.

When both sides have been seared for a few minutes, remove the steaks from the pan and set them aside.

The pan sauce

Now that the steaks have been cooked, it is time to make the sauce. The pan sauce for Steak Au Poivre is made from the brown bits the meat has left behind, the Cognac, heavy cream, shallots and more peppercorns. I add the shallots first and brown them generously in the leftover pan butter. Next I add the butter and crushed peppercorns. When the butter has melted I will turn off the flame and move the pan to another burner to add the Cognac.

This may be the other reason cooking Steak Au Poivre makes people nervous. Cognac has a tendency to catch on fire. You can remedy this by turning off the heat. I like to move it to a new burner too just in case I spill any. Then I move it back to the original burner and turn the heat back on. Once the Cognac has mixed with the butter in the pan it is less likely to cause any issues.

The mix cooks for a few minutes until the Cognac has reduced by half and then the heavy cream is added. I always like to add the juices from the plate the steak is resting on back into the pan too. At that point you want to simmer it slowly until the sauce coats the back of the spoon. It should take less than 5 minutes to make the sauce.

The photo below shows the pan when the butter goes in (1), after the Cognac is added (2) and when the heavy cream is added (3).

When to make Steak Au Poivre

Due to the Cognac in the sauce, Steak Au Poivre is often seen as a meal for special occasions. It’s perfect for a small holiday dinner or a dinner party. That said, I think most Sundays call for a special occasion meal. We tend to reserve them for pasta or other warm and comforting dishes but my Steak Au Poivre recipe was perfect for that evening too.

Often when I was little my dad was only home for Saturday or Sunday dinners. He worked Monday – Friday until 9 p.m. at a car dealership and on Saturdays he would work until 5 p.m. and bring home Chinese or pizza. He always cooked on Sunday or we want to his mom’s for dinner. It was really our only full family dinner or the week. No matter what we’re doing now, I try to make sure we are all together for dinner on Sunday still. Now family dinners are easy because my kids are young and we both work from home. But I’m claiming Sundays as my day for dinner as they grow.

Tips for making Steak Au Poivre

• The first thing I imagine people will ask is if they can use something other than costly Cognac. My answer is yes. You can use a regular brandy if you like. However if you want to make Steak Au Poivre the Classic French way, Cognac is the way to go – at least the first time you make it so you can experience the true taste. By the way, most experts would also say you could replace the Cognac with Sherry or even a white grape juice. Personally, I would go with Brandy as a first choice and sherry as a second. Grape juice sounds too sweet to me but feel free to give it a whirl and let me know how it goes!
• I make my Steak Au Poivre in a cast iron pan. I love the flavor it adds and I love how it gives the meat the perfect sear. I used this one {HERE} for 2 New York Strip Steaks. I believe you could fit 3 filet mignons in this too. However, if you want to make more than that, I recommend a larger pan. I just bought this one {HERE} for larger cast iron cooking.
• Remember using better ingredients such as meat from the butcher, true extra virgin olive oil, real butter and heavy cream versus any substitutes will produce a better results. (This message goes out to my brother who thought that Country Crock was real butter.) I also (and always) highly recommend using sea salt as opposed to table salt and fresh cracked pepper. In this recipe the fresh cracked pepper is a must. It should not be substituted or you’re making a completely different dish.

Looking for side dishes or dessert ideas for the Steak Au Poivre recipe?

If you’re looking for wast side dishes for the Steak Au Poivre or a delicious dessert to go with it, try these.

• French Green Bean Salad {HERE}
• French Potato Salad {HERE}
• Creamy Red Skinned Mashed Potatoes {HERE}
• Green Beans with Almonds {HERE}
• Homemade Angel Food Cake {HERE}
• Chocolate Mousse Made From Scratch {HERE}
• No Bake Chocolate Lasagna {HERE}
• Bailey’s Chocolate Cake {HERE}

Thank you so much for visiting today, friends! I hope you love my Classic Steak Au Poivre recipe. It’s a true favorite of mine. You can find a full, printable recipe below with all the ingredients and steps. You can also find me on instagram @sugarmaplefarmhouseand@sugarmaplekitchen. Our YouTube channel is@sugarmaplefarmhouse. Happy eating!