See Also: Beef Dishes · Meat Dishes · Television Show Recipes
Rib Eye Steak with Peppercorn Cognac Sauce
From Dorothy McNett's Recipe Book at www.dorothymcnett.com. The proportions are for four steaks. CHOOSE YOUR PAN CAREFULLY...it must have a thick heavy bottom. If not using Cognac, you can easily substitute a sweeter white wine or even Sherry. This recipe was presented in one of my tv shows, along with Celery Salsa and Zippy Bars.
four best quality rib eye steaks, or filet mignon steaks (about 3/4 - 1 inch thick)
2-3 tablespoons black or white peppercorns
1-2 tablespoon oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)
1-2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely minced
1/2 cup Cognac (or sub a sweet white wine)
1 cup good quality beef broth
2/3 cup heavy cream
sea salt crystals for the finish (I use black lava sea salt crystals)
Coarsely grind or pound the peppercorns, just to crush them but leaving them chunky. Pat the pepper onto both sides of each steak. Set aside at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes. When ready to cook, heat pan over medium high to high heat, adding the oil and butter but do not let it get so hot that the butter burns. Place the steaks in the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, depending on your doneness desires and the thickness of the steaks. Transfer steaks to a hot platter and set aside. Remove most of the fat from the pan, leaving a film on the bottom. Add the minced shallots and cook for 1 minute to soften. Add the Cognac and cook and stir to reduce it to a glaze. Add the broth and cook and stir until the liquid has been reduced by half. Add the cream and cook and stir until it thickens, but be careful not to let the mixture boil. Keep it just under the boil so that it will not curdle and separate. Drizzle a little of the sauce onto the plates, and then place the steaks over the sauce. Sprinkle with the sea salt. Serve the remaining sauce in a gravy boat, or drizzle over the steaks. It just depends on how you want to present the steaks.
Recipe created 2007-02-26.
