Steak au poivre (French pronunciation:[stɛk‿opwavʁ], Quebec French pronunciation: [stei̯k‿opwɑːvʁ]) or pepper steak is a French dish that consists of a steak, traditionally a filet mignon, coated with coarsely cracked peppercorns.[1][2] The peppercorns form a crust on the steak when cooked and provide a pungent counterpoint to the beef. Steak au poivre may be found in traditional French restaurants in most urban areas.[3]
The peppercorn crust is made by placing the steak in a bed of cracked black (or mixed) peppercorns. Typically, the steak is seared in a hot skillet with a small amount of butter and oil. The steak is seared at a high temperature to cook the outside quickly and form the crust while leaving the interior rare to medium rare. The steak is left to rest for several minutes before serving.[4][5]
Steak au poivre is often served with pan peppercorn sauce consisting of reduced cognac, heavy cream, and the fond from the bottom of the pan, often including other ingredients such as butter, shallots, and/or Dijon mustard. Common side dishes to steak au poivre are various forms of mashed potatoes and pommes frites (small fried shoestring potatoes).
^"Add French Flavoring To Steak". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Feb 22, 1978. p. 9. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
^Alton Brown (2005). "Steak au Poivre". Food Network. FoodNetwork.com. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
^Michael Hastings (January 5, 2011). "Peppercorns make steak 'au poivre'". Winston-Salem Journal. Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
