Sometimes, enough is enough.
Sometimes you have to take a moment, sit back, and smell the roses. And I’ve got a lot of damn roses in my life.
On Sunday, my wife and I paused to take a moment from our hectic, go-go, hypercaffeinated workaday lives and enjoy a brief respite from the June gloom SoCal’s been experiencing. We bought a nice bottle of cab sauv. Set Pandora to “Phoenix.” Set out the filet mignon to thaw.
I make music to cook to.
Filet mignon comes from the tenderloin, a long, baseball-bat of meet from just under the top loin. It’s a long way from the head and the hoof, which means it doesn’t do much at all in terms of moving the animal around. ”Doesn’t do much” equals “tender.” It also has a very mild flavor, which turns some people off. But we’ll fix that.
We’re making steak au poivre. Or if you don’t roll gallic, steak of pepper. This dish is one I’ve been looking forward to most. It’s dead simple: take the richest, tenderest bit of the beast, and coat in crushed pepercorns. Sear. Deglaze with cognac. Add lots of cream. Reheat the steaks in the newly-created sauce. Serve.
Sweet giggling Buddha on a trampoline. This is how to live.
Allons!
Alright, so there isn’t much to do here. Pound peppercorns with mortar and pestle.
Jared smash!
Pepper pestled, put on plate. Press. Alliteration is fun.
Sear. Repeat.
Set aside.
Deglaze with cognac. I used brandy. Because I felt like it. Flame on!
Uh, I was dealing with fire. Couldn't get a pic.
If you’ve never flamed hot brandy, I strongly suggest you do so. I’ve botched it before. It’s more satisfying when you don’t screw it up.
Add a half pint of cream. Heat.
Add the meat to reheat.
Plate.
Sides? We don't need no stinking sides.
Verdict: Okay, so I know I’ve used some hyperbolic language on these pages before. So let me just say this: I’m convinced God created heaven and earth solely so that someone could make this dish. It’s that good.
Hommina, hommina, hommina.
It’s crazy simple. It’s pretty fast. The only barrier to entry is the price of the meat itself, which is one of the most expensive cuts on the steer. But if you buy the whole steer, you get them for the price of ground beef.
Yeah.
The Wife Says: We are making this again. (And, in fact, we did.)
What Did We Learn: Flaming brandy has to be hot. And Steak au Poivre deserves its luxe reputation.
Up Next: Truckin‘.
