Aspiring Elephant

I love a good steak sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of beef on its own. But there is something about a good sauce that just elevates a dish to something completely out of this world. If you were to ask me what my favorite steak sauce is – that would be tough to declare. At best, I could give you a top 5, which would include the likes of chimichurri, béarnaise, red wine reduction, and without a doubt, peppercorn sauce.

What is a peppercorn sauce?

Peppercorn sauce is a classic French sauce that consists of sautéed peppercorns, shallots, garlic, cognac, beef broth, and cream, reduced, then finished off with butter for a silky, smooth finish. It’s wonderfully rich and exploding with robust a flavor that pairs so well with cuts like filet mignon. It goes well with any type of steak but filet’s are typically rather lean cuts of meat, meaning they don’t have as much flavor. Their lack of fat makes them the perfect candidate for a decadent sauce – enter peppercorn sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp whole peppercorns
• 1 medium shallot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp butter (divided)
• 1/3 cup cognac or brandy
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt to taste
• fresh thyme for garish

How to Make Peppercorn Sauce

There are a couple different ways you can start this sauce. You can either make it from the drippings of the steak you prepare, or by itself. I usually opt for the former, which I believe helps give it a hardier, meaty flavor, but either option is fine. Pour out 1 tbsp of whole peppercorns onto your counter, then using the bottom of a pan or pot, press the peppercorns down to crush. You don’t need to totally pulverize the peppercorns to a powder, just a light crush will suffice.

If you are choosing to use the drippings from the steak, remove the steaks from the pan, leaving behind all of the oil and juice, then add the peppercorns to the sauce. If you are not using this method, add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to pan, bring to temperature over medium heat, then add peppercorns. Allow the peppercorns a few minutes to cook and develop more flavor. Finely dice one shallot and open up 3 garlic cloves. Add in the diced shallot, then using a microplane, grate the garlic cloves directly into the pan. Continually stir to ensure even cooking. I’ll sometimes add in a small amount of butter for additional flavor.

Once the shallots and garlic become darker in color, carefully add in 1/3 cup of cognac. Proceed with caution if you are cooking over an open gas flame, as cognac is quite flammable and has the tendency to flare up. Any type of Cognac will work here, but I like to use Hennessy V.S. (Very Special), which can be found at most liquor or grocery stores.

Deglazing with any type of alcohol is wonderful way to pull up those charred bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add in about 1/3 cup of cognac to the pan and let it works it’s magic. Use a spatula to scrape up the cooked pieces of shallot and garlic. Give the cognac a minute or two to burn off then add in 1/2 cup of beef broth. Bring the sauce back to a simmer, then add in 1/3 cup of heavy cream. The amounts here are rather interchangeable, I should add. If you prefer a creamier sauce, add a little more cream, if you prefer a darker, less creamy sauce, increase the amount of beef broth. I also take this time to season with salt. Make sure to taste it as you go. You can always add more salt but you can never take it away!

Reduce the heat to low-medium and continue to simmer until it becomes thicker in consistency. I like to use the streak test to know when it’s ready. Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the pan. If it leaves behind a streak, it’s probably ready. Once again, depending on how you prefer the consistency of your sauce, you may choose to take it off the heat a little earlier. Below is a photo of my sauce right before I took it off the burner.

The very last thing I like to do, which is totally optional, is to add about 1 tbsp of butter. Turn off the burner and allow the butter to melt in while stirring. I find the butter will help cut into some of the spiciness of the peppercorns while also increasing flavor and giving it a more velvety, smooth finish. That’s all there is to it. I oftentimes like to add a little fresh thyme to the sauce once plated as it helps to give the dish a fresh, earthy essence. Hope you enjoy!