simply delicious
with Rynn Hennings
thehouseofelynryn.com
A
few years ago, we changed our Christmas dinner food tradition. Instead of the traditional ham or turkey holiday meal, my mother suggested serving steaks for a change. So, a new tradition was born, and we have had grilled steaks au Poivre with smashed potatoes on Christmas Eve ever since. Au Poivre is a French pepper sauce usually made in the same pan used to cook the steaks. However, I changed the recipe to work with a grilled steak without sacrificing taste. There is a lot of coarse ground pepper in this sauce. However, after serving it so many times, I adjusted the amount of pepper to suit the most palates.
Directions for au Poivre 1. Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the pepper and shallots and cook on medium heat to wilt the shallots. 2. S lowly pour the Cognac into the side of the skillet. Stir. Be careful because Cognac will flame if the pan is too hot. Have a lid nearby in case you need to smother a flame. 3. Cook the Cognac until it reduces and most of it evaporates.
STEAK AU POIVRE Servings: 2 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients for au Poivre • • • • • •
3 tablespoons butter 1 ½ tablespoons black pepper, coarse ground ¼ cup shallots, minced (can substitute minced onion) ¼ cup cognac 1 cup beef or chicken broth 1/3 heavy cream
Ingredients for Steaks • • • • •
2 filet mignon steaks salt pepper food probe thermometer grill
22 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2021 Issue
4. A dd the broth. Stir. Simmer until it reduces into a thick liquid. Using a wooden spoon, scrape it across the bottom of the pan while the sauce simmers. If the wooden spoon makes a scraped path that stays open across the pan for a couple of seconds, the sauce is ready for the cream. If the broth immediately runs back over the scrape, simmer it longer. Perform the scrape test periodically until the sauce has thickened, and you can scrape a distinctive path across the pan. 5. A dd the cream and stir. Simmer until the cream has thickened and has a brown appearance. Use the same scrape test to pull a path through the cream to determine if it is ready. If the sauce should get too thick, add a little more cream. The sauce can be made before the steaks. Cover it and then reheat it with a little more cream just before serving. Directions for Steaks 1. S et the steaks out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature. This will take about 20-30 minutes. Generously salt and pepper on both sides of the steaks. 2. F or outdoor charcoal and gas-grilled steaks, set the grill temp to 400 degrees. 3. C ook each steak for about 6 minutes on each side. Then check the internal temperature with a thermometer probe. Rare 115-120 degrees F; Medium Rare 125 degrees F; Medium 135 degrees F; Medium Well 145 degrees F; and
