Recipe: Pepper Steak

1 Put a little salted oil in one plate and the white peppercorn crush in another.

2 Pass each steak through the oil and then through the peppercorn crush. This is a little trick to keep the pepper well stuck to the meat.

3 Heat a sauté pan over high heat with a knob of butter and a tablespoon of grapeseed oil. When the mixture is foaming, place your steaks in and sear them well on both sides.

4 When the cooking reaches your preference (rare, medium-rare or medium), take the steaks out onto a separate plate, cover them with aluminum foil to keep them warm, and let the meat rest for the same time as the cooking lasted. This allows the juices to release and the meat to become tender.

5 Meanwhile, remove the fat from the sauté pan and put it back on high heat. Pour in your cognac and flame it, then stir with a small whisk to release the browned bits. Add the white wine, let reduce by half, pour in the cream, let reduce by half again, and finally add the veal stock.

6 Turn off the heat and mix in a tablespoon of strong mustard, then add the butter in small cubes, stirring the pan to incorporate it, and adjust the seasoning.

7 Add to this sauce the juice released by your steaks while they were resting. Stir one last time, place your steaks into the hot sauce and turn them. Arrange your pepper steaks on hot plates and coat them generously with the sauce. You can serve with potato cocotte, sautéed potatoes, soufflé potatoes, parisienne potatoes, straw potatoes, or thick-cut fries. This sauce also works wonderfully with pork tenderloin, duck breast, venison fillet, poultry strips or pheasant, and so on. When your guests taste this dish, you'll suddenly hear nothing but the sound of silence around your table.