| Level: | Intermediate |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (4-pound) beef tenderloin
- Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 handful fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 handful fresh rosemary sprigs
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Cognac or brandy
- 1/2 cup demi-glace or dark stock
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons jarred green peppercorns, drained
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 bunch watercress, stems trimmed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Pat the tenderloin dry with paper towels and sprinkle all sides with a generous amount of salt and pepper – you should see the seasoning on the meat. Place a large skillet or roasting pan over medium-high flame, drizzle with the oil, and just when it begins to smoke lay the tenderloin in the hot pan. Brown on all sides until a crust forms and the meat is well-seared, about 7 minutes total. Toss the fresh thyme and rosemary on top of the tenderloin and transfer the whole thing to the oven; roast for 20 to 25 minutes for medium-rare.
- Remove the tenderloin to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Pour off the excess fat from the pan and put it back on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the shallots to the pan drippings, saute, stirring with a spoon to scrape up the flavors in the bottom. Take the pan off the heat and pour in the cognac (premeasure – never pour directly from the bottle!) Put the pan back on the heat and tilt it slightly over the burner to ignite the alcohol, or light with a kitchen lighter. The cognac will flame for a few seconds then go out as the alcohol burns off. Stir in the demi-glace and cream, simmer for about 1 minute to thicken the sauce so it coats a spoon. Finish the sauce by stirring in the mustard and peppercorns until incorporated. Taste and season with salt, if necessary.
- To serve: pile the watercress on a serving platter, cut the tenderloin into 1/2-inch thick slices and arrange it on top of the greens. Drizzle the sauce over the beef and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve the steak au poivre with pommes frites.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 653 |
| Total Fat | 46 g |
| Saturated Fat | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 45 g |
| Cholesterol | 198 mg |
| Sodium | 702 mg |
Reviews
Why has the copy feature been taken off the recipes?
I’ve been making this sauce for many years. I think my original recipe (almost verbatim to this recipe) was from an older cookbook called the sauciers apprentice.. It’s fantastic. The Demi-glace is a huge plus. If you can’t get demi-glace and just don’t have the time to make it, I suggest you take 2-3 cups of beef stock and reduce it on another burner down to the 1/2 cup called for in the recipe. This sauce works equally well on pan seared filet mignon steaks. Fry them in clarified butter cut with a little vegetable oil. When I make this dish, I sometimes buy 3-4 bags of mcdonalds french fries to serve with it. Making fries the same time as making the steak and sauce is too labor intensive. The McDonalds fries are very similar to the pommes frite you typically get with this dish in France.
This sauce is amazing. I like a lot of pepper, so the amount of peppercorns in the sauce didn’t bother me. Also, I used beef stock instead of demi glace and I didn’t notice a difference. I’m sure the demi glace would make it more rich though.
This sauce was absolutely amazing. Tasted just like the way it does in French restaurants. Two things I want to add for next time:
1 I agree with one of the previous posters that the cooking time for the steak is too long. I followed it exactly and my steak ended up being well done instead of medium rare as the cooking time suggests. And I only left it in the oven for 20 minutes.
2 Though the green peppercorns add a great dimension/flavor to the sauce, I’d probably cut the quantity in half as I think 2 tablespoons is a little overpowering. I’m not a fan of biting into too many of them.
Overall with these two changes it would be five star rating. I’ll be sure to try this again with the fixes.
I researched Steak Au Poivre after my husband and I had it for New Years at Flemmings. I made this recipe early this year and we have had it at least 2-3 times per month since! I practically can’t cook without pan sauces now! Once you know the technique you can do so many variations. Fantastic recipe!
The sauce was terrific and very easy to make.
I roasted quartered new potatoes (tossed in olive oil and salt) at the same time (same oven) and both were ready at the same time. I also found 20min. not enough
cooking time (40 min. for med/med-rare).
made the sauce when roast was sitting and at the same time steamed asparagus. simple and easy!!
I roasted quartered new potatoes (tossed in olive oil and salt) at the same time (same oven) and both were ready at the same time. I also found 20min. not enough
cooking time (40 min. for med/med-rare).
made the sauce when roast was sitting and at the same time steamed asparagus. simple and easy!!
This steak is delicious and reminds me of France. The sauce is amazing!
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. It brought back so many memories of our trips to Paris and the lovely dinners we have enjoyed in the bistros there. I did make the recipe with ribeye steaks instead of a tenderloin. I marinaded them with the thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil first for 30minutes. Then used a grill pan to cook them medium rare. As the steaks rested, I made the sauce as directed and it was oh so delish! This is a keeper, that I will use for romantic dinners. Thank you Tyler for a wonderful recipe, and for the great memories of Paris!
I tried this recipe this past weekend and was incredibly pleased with the final product. The sauce alone is worth it. The prep time is minimal and the entire thing comes together pretty quickly the only down side to this recipe that I found was that the oven cooking time for the steak was a little long. I’d recommend 15-20 minutes instead of the suggested 20-25 just to keep the inside of the steak nice and pink. Other than that, slam dunk! I’ll definitely make it again.
I made this for a finicky crowd, so I just grilled the filets with just a little salt and pepper, then made the sauce according to the directions for those who wanted some. I didn’t use any of the herbs either, just the shallot, brandy, demi-glace, cream, mustard, and peppercorns, and just started the shallots in a little olive oil. I also made the sauce ahead of time and kept it warm on the stove, that worked out really well except it kept reducing, so I added a bit more heavy cream and milk, mixed it in, and that did the trick. I had never flamed anything before and boy was I surprised at how high the flames went. 🙂 The sauce was delicous and I’d definitely make it again.