A recipe similar to this one was recommended to me by my son, Tim. I know it had to be great because he is a fine food aficionado. It differed considerably from the other Food Nirvana Steak Au Poivre recipe that uses bleu cheese, butter and cracked peppercorns on a grilled steak.

My advice? Make steak Au Poivre both ways, at different times, and enjoy life to the full.

I have modified the recipe Tim used to follow some refinements found at the Serious Eats® website.

Remember to make all other meal items before making the steak. This steak pairs well with a good Merlot or Pinot Noir wine. Glasses of ice water will be appreciated too. Either a baked potato or French fries are great as the carbohydrate, and a cold side salad of your choice with a piquant (slightly sharp, non-creamy) salad dressing combine to make a perfect meal.

Ingredients: (2 servings)

Meat Ingredients/Preparation:

2, 1 lb., one and one quarter inch thick boneless rib-eye or strip steaks (any outside edge fat removed) or 4, 8 ounce filet mignons

1 tsp. of Kosher salt, rubbed into each side of each steak (used 30 minutes prior to peppering and searing, to season the steak and to dry the steak surface)

2 to 3 tsp. of cracked peppercorns for each steak (applied [pressed into] to only one side of the steak, just before searing)

3 tbsp. of peanut oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2 sprigs of thyme

1 tablespoon of butter

Sauce Ingredients:

2 tbsp. of cognac (to deglaze the skillet)

1 tbsp. of cracked peppercorns

1/2 of a large shallot, minced

1/2 cup of chicken broth

3/4 cup of heavy cream

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

Sea salt (to taste ... about one teaspoon)

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 150 °F.

Remember to prepare all other meal items before cooking the steak Au Poivre. Keep the potato or other carbohydrate item warm in the oven.

Season the steaks on both sides with kosher salt. Set them on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and allow the steaks to air-dry, uncovered, in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat a second oven to 375 °F.

Spread the cracked peppercorns on a plate or in a shallow dish and firmly press one side of each steak into the pepper to encrust it in an even layer. Set each steak aside, peppercorn side up.

Heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet until it shimmers.

Add the steaks, peppercorn side down, and cook until the peppercorns are well toasted, about 3 minutes.

Carefully turn the steaks over, trying not to break the peppercorn crust. Add the butter, thyme and garlic, then cook, basting the steaks with the butter, thyme and garlic, using a spoon, until they are well seared on the second side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Transfer the steaks to a wire rack covered rimmed baking sheet. Use an instant-read thermometer and check the internal temperature of the steaks; if they've reached 125°F, they will be ready to serve within a few minutes, medium-rare. If they haven't reached their final desired internal temperature (which will depend on the thickness of the steaks), transfer them to the 375 degrees F oven and continue cooking them until the correct internal temperature is reached.

Allow the steaks to rest for 5 minutes outside the oven once the final internal temperature is reached.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat/oil from the skillet and discard the garlic and thyme. Add the shallot and return to medium heat, and cook, stirring, until shallot is tender, about 2 minutes.

Add the cognac to the skillet and stir to deglaze the skillet.

Put the cracked peppercorns into the skillet.

Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring and scraping up any browned bits left in the skillet from searing the steaks.

Whisk in the cream, then simmer, stirring often, until the sauce has reduced enough to glaze a spoon.

Whisk in the Dijon mustard. Season the sauce with salt.

Remove the sauce from the heat and put it into a gravy boat or other serving dish.

Serve the steaks and pour/ladle the sauce over them.

Serve the other meal items, along with the wine and glasses of ice water.

Enjoy!