Recipe of the Week: Steak au Poivre

I wanted to feature one of our new seasoning blends in my recipe this week, and the first one that came to mind was our Pepper Steak/Steak au Poivre blend. The genesis for this seasoning was or interpretation of the classic Montreal Steak Spice, and as we developed it, we realized that if we made black peppercorns the forward flavour, the resulting blend would be quite at home on a steak at a French bistro. So here is a great recipe for a Steak au Poivre, starring one of our newest seasonings!

Steak au Poivre

Serves 4

Ingredients

4                        tenderloin steaks, 1.5” thick
4 tbsp                Sanagan’s Pepper Steak (aka Steak au Poivre) Seasoning Blend, divided
2 tbsp                olive oil
4 tbsp                butter, divided
2 branches         fresh thyme
1 clove               garlic, whole
2                        shallots, finely minced
½ cup                brandy
1 L                     beef stock
3/4 cup              whipping cream

Method

1. Season the steaks with three tbsp of the Pepper Steak Seasoning and rub with the olive oil. Allow to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

2. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When frothy, add the steaks to the pan and sear to deep golden brown on both sides – about six minutes altogether. Add another tbsp of butter, the thyme, and the garlic, and allow the butter to get frothy again. Baste the tenderloins with the frothy hot butter for a minute. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the steaks. Once they are 110°F remove them from the pan and set aside to rest.

3. Discard the thyme and garlic and excess browned butter and wipe out the pan to get rid of any blackened bits. Add the final tbsp of butter to the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Add the shallots and 1 tbsp of Pepper Steak Seasoning and sweat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the shallots are translucent – about 3 minutes. Add the brandy and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any fond that was stuck there. Add the beef stock, turn the heat on high to bring it to a boil, and reduce by 3/4 until the sauce is quite dark, about 10-12 minutes. Finally, add the cream and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon – about 3-4 minutes. Turn the heat down to a simmer, taste for seasoning, then add the steaks back in the pan to warm through.

4. Divide the steaks among four plates and drizzle the sauce equally on each serving. Enjoy!