Strip Steak with Pepper Cream Sauce

Summary

• Source: Alton Brown, Good Eats
• Genre: Meat
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cooking Time: 15 minutes
• Servings: 2

Ingredients

• Two strip steaks, 6-8 ounces each and 3/4 inch thick
• 2 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 2 tbsp canola oil (original recipe called for clarified butter, but I don't have the patience required and it's an unpleasant cleanup job in my opinion.)
• 3/4 cup low-sodium beef stock or broth
• 3 tbsp cognac
• 3/4 cup half-n-half or heavy cream
• 1 tbsp green peppercorns in brine, drained and slightly crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200°F.
2. Remove steaks from the refrigerator and place on a plate. Let them heat to room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
3. Sprinkle steaks with kosher salt and crushed black pepper. Heat oil in a 12 inch, heavy bottomed saute pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add steaks and cook until browned on both sides. Cook for about 90 seconds on each side for rare, 2 minutes for medium rare. Remove steaks from pan and move to a cookie sheet or baking dish. Place in oven to keep warm.
4. Add the stock to the saute pan and constantly scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon or wisk to deglaze the pan. Allow the liquid to reduce for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add cognac (making sure to pour slowly and watch for fires), dairy and green peppercorns to the pan. Increase heat to high and cook, scraping/stirring constantly with the wooden spoon, until sauce thickens slightly. It should reach a consistency where it will just coat the back of a spoon. This takes approximately 5-7 minutes.
5. Season the sauce to taste with kosher salt. Remove steaks from oven and put on a plate. Top with sauce and serve immediately.

Recommendations

• Goes well with oven roasted red potatoes and steamed fresh broccoli, both of which help soak up the sauce on the plate.