Hillbilly Steak Au Poirve
Don’t be intimidated by the fancy name, folks. Steak au poivre is just a fancy French way of saying “steak with pepper,” but for all its simplicity this simple dish is darn fancy-tasting.
The original version of this recipe calls for cognac, but really, how many of you out there just have the stuff lying around? Instead, this version uses an American staple: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey! Yee-haw! It has a little more bite than the French version, but I think you’ll enjoy it nonetheless.
INGREDIENTS
4 smallish steaks. It doesn’t really matter what kind. Just make ‘em small enough to fit four to a large skillet.
Kosher or sea salt
Whole black peppers or (even better) tri-color peppercorn mix
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup Jack Daniel’s
Pull the steaks out of the fridge for about an hour before you’re ready to coo. Just don’t let the dog pull ‘em off the counter! Wrap the peppercorns in a sandwich bag, then wrap that in a towel. Place the whole thing on the floor and beat the hell out of it with whatever you have handy until the peppercorns are coarsely crushed.
In a large skillet melt the butter and olive oil until it just starts to turn brown. Paste the peppercorns and the salt evenly on both sides of the steaks and drop ‘em in a medium-heat, stainless steel skillet. NOTE: try not to use non-stick; it ruins the deglazing process later.
When the steaks are done cooking on both sides (I hope you can figure that part out yourself) set them aside under a pie pan or something to keep them warm.
Now here comes the fun part: Pull the skillet off the heat and VERY CAREFULLY drop in the Jack Daniel’s. Now, the French recipes call for the alcohol to be ignited, but I think you’ll find that the heat of the pan will take care of it for you. Just lean back and let the steam billow away.
When that’s done, place the pan back over medium heat and slowwwwwly add the heavy cream and whisk it all around. You’ll find that the stuff that baked onto the bottom of the pan from the steaks deglazes into the cream and creates the best. Sauce. Ever.
When the sauce is nice and thick, pour it over the steaks and serve.
Enjoy!
