Steak in Green Peppercorn Sauce

A fave of The Missus, this one. It's pretty straightforward, so here we go.

Put an oven-proof dish in a pre-heated oven at about 100 degrees (not sure what gas mark, just the lowest it will go).

Take 2 steaks of your choosing, rub them with some good olive oil then season with sea salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. The last time I did this (last weekend) I used a couple of rib-eye steaks but you can use fillets or sirloins if you like. Leave them out to come to room temperature while you get on with everything else.

In a jug, mix together 200ml of beef stock (on the subject of stock, I do make my own chicken and veg stock, when I can be bothered but I use the Knorr concentrates when I can't) with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a couple of good slugs of red wine and a few splashes of Worcester Sauce. Whisk it all together then set aside.

In a large, flame-proof frying pan (a black-iron pan is perfect, if you've got one), melt a knob of butter in a good couple of glugs of olive oil over a high heat. When it's all hot and bubbling, chuck in your steaks and, depending on how you like them, fry them for about a minute and a half on each side. Transfer them to the dish in the oven while you finish off the sauce.

Take the pan off the heat and add a couple of slugs of brandy then set fire to it. This will burn off the alcohol quickly and looks pretty impressive too.

Add the pan back to the heat and when the flames have gone out, add the stock mixture and whisk over a high heat until it's reduced by about a quarter. Add about 100ml or so of double cream and 2 tablespoons of green peppercorns (you can get these in brine in supermarkets). Mix the whole lot together until it's thickened slightly and, although I hate this phrase, I guess it's true, coats the back of a spoon. You know what I mean!

Serve the steaks with new potatoes and griddled asparagus with the sauce poured over and a glass of a good South African Pinotage.

Triffic!


The Bloke