This Charming Kitchen

This weekend I made Steak au Poivre for The Boy.  And I have to tell y'all it was pretty damn good.

It's a Barefoot Contessa recipe and it was really easy and amazingly good.  Please, make it for your friends and boyfriends.

Immediately!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 6 filet mignon, cut 1 1/4 inches thick
• Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
• 1 cup canned beef broth
• 1/2 cup good Cognac or brandy

Directions

Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. 

Sprinkle the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes.

Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Saute the steaks for 4 minutes on 1 side and then for 3 minutes on the other side, for medium rare. Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Meanwhile, pour all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the saute pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4 to 6 minutes, until reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Cognac and cook for 2 more minutes. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve the steaks hot with the sauce poured on top.

We only made two steaks, although we may have eaten all six if we had made them.

A couple of little notes:

First, I didn't let the steaks come to room temperature before I cooked them and I think it added to the cooking time.  I'll definitely remember to do that next time.  

Second, use freshly cracked pepper.  I usually don't but did this time I think it really made a WORLD of difference.  And The Boy made himself useful by grinding all the little peppercorns up in the mortar and pestle - which made him happy.

Third, use low sodium beef broth.  The sauce was really well seasoned but it definitely would have been too salty if I hadn't used the low sodium beef broth.

And finally, use good Cognac.  The Boy could taste the Cognac and really liked it.