Filet Mignon with Green Peppercorn Cream Sauce ingredients 1 3/4 cups beef stock or canned beef broth 3 tablespoons butter 4 6- to 8-ounce filet mignon steaks (each about 1 inch thick) 1/4 cup chopped shallots 1 cup whipping cream 3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy 2 tablespoons drained green peppercorns in brine preparation 1. Boil stock in small saucepan until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper. Cook steaks to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to plate (do not clean skillet). 2. Add chopped shallots to same skillet and sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add reduced beef stock, 1 cup whipping cream, 3 tablespoons Cognac and green peppercorns. Boil until mixture thickens to sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Season sauce to taste with pepper. Spoon sauce over steaks and serve. #-------------------------------------------------- The tangy flavor of green peppercorns distinguishes the creamy sauce for this tender steak. You can buy the peppercorns canned (packed in salt water or vinegar) or dried; the recipe works well with either kind, though the canned type will be slightly softer. Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce 1 1/2 to 2 pounds tender boneless beef steak, cut 1 to 1 1/2-inches thick 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 6 tablespoons brandy, warmed 1/4 to 1/2 cup minced shallots 1 to 2 tablespoons canned green peppercorns, rinsed and drained; or 1 to 2 tablespoons dried green peppercorns 3/4 cup whipping cream or creme fraiche 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon dry tarragon Salt and ground black pepper 1. Trim fat from steak or score fat to prevent meat from curling as it cooks 2. Melt butter in oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. add meat and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides and done to your liking; cut to test (6 to 8 minutes for rare). 3. Move pan into an open area, away from exhaust fans and flammable items. Add brandy and ignite; shake or tilt pan until flame dies. Transfer meat to a serving dish and keep warm. 4. Add shallots to pan; cook over high heat, stirring, until shallots are soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add peppercorns, cream, mustard and tarragon. Bring to a boil; boil, stirring, until large, shiny bubbles form and sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in any accumulated meat juices from serving dish. Season with salt and pepper; pour over meat. Makes 4 to 6 servings. #-------------------------------------------------- Beef Tenderloin Fillets with Green Peppercorn Sauce 2 tablespoons butter 2 (8-ounce) beef tenderloin fillets 2 cups Marsala wine 1 cup chicken broth 20 green peppercorns 2 cups whipping cream 1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets, and cook 6 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Remove fillets from skillet, and keep warm. 2. Add wine, broth, and peppercorns to skillet; cook 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in cream and mustard; cook 20 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Return fillets to skillet, and serve warm. Makes 2 servings. #-------------------------------------------------- Green Peppercorn Sauce 1 tablespoon butter 1 shallot, minced 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 cup dry red wine 1/4 cup demiglace (reduced by half stock) 1/4 cup crème fraîche (or whipping cream) 2 tablespoons green peppercorns (in vinegar or brine; not dry) Salt and pepper to taste Saute the shallot in the butter until glossy, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar and reduce to a glaze, about 2 tablespoons worth. Add the red wine and reduce by one-half. Add the demiglace and reduce slightly. Whisk in the creme fraiche and green peppercorns. other version of demiglase: Classical demiglace 1 quart brown stock 1 quart sauce Espagnole Reduce the stock by 1/3. Add the sauce Espagnole and reduce until you're left with one quart. Strain the sauce through cheesecloth. SAUCE ESPAGNOLE Mirepoix: 4 ounces onions, diced 2 ounces carrots, diced 2 ounces celery, diced 2 ounces oil 2 ounces tomato paste 5 pints brown stock 6 ounces blond roux Sachet d'epices: 3 or 4 parsley stems, chopped 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves 1 bay leaf 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns 1 clove garlic, crushed The above ingredients are placed into a 4" square of cheesecloth and tied into a sack. Brown the onions in the hot oil; add the rest of the mirepoix and continue to brown. Add the tomato paste and cook until it begins to brown and caramelize. Add the stock, and bring to a simmer. Whip the roux into the stock, making sure all lumps are broken up. Return to a simmer and add the sachet. Simmer for about 1 hour, and skim the surface if necessary. Strain the sauce through cheesecloth. Homemade Crème Fraîche Makes 2 Cups 1 to 2 tablespoons cultured buttermilk 2 cups heavy cream (pasteurized, not ultra pasteurized or sterilized, and with no additives) Combine the buttermilk and cream in a saucepan and heat only to tepid (not more than 85 degrees on an instant reading thermometer). Pour into a clean glass jar. Partially cover and let stand at room temperature (between 65 and 75 degrees) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened. Stir and refrigerate at least 24 hours before using. The cream will keep about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Variations: Fresh Herbed Cream Sauce: No cooking here -- simply blend 1/2 cup crème fraîche with 1 teaspoon each finely sliced chives and fresh tarragon. Add about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serves up to 6 people. Streak a little over pieces of grilled, baked or poached salmon, sole, or scallops. Herbs could be pureed with a little shallot and stirred into the cream for a pale green color. Pan Sauces: Stir a generous tablespoon into defatted pan sauces after pan grilling poultry, fish or vegetables. Bring to a simmer, taste for balance, and pour over foods. Soups: Reduce the amount of cream called for in your favorite creamed soup by half and substitute crème fraîche. With Fruits: A few spoonfuls of crème fraîche lift fruit flavors. Try over berries, ripe peaches or nectarines, or on sauteed pears. The cream could be lightly sweetened, flavored with a little lemon, orange or vanilla. Imagination is everything. Try crème fraîche in other dishes as well. Streak it over mousses and jelled sweets or savories. Finish an appetizer plate of marinated leek or grilled scallions and asparagus with a zig zag of crème fraîche. It is classic in Beef Stroganoff instead of sour cream. #-------------------------------------------------- 1. Crush up some black peppercorns with a pestle and mortar before tipping them onto a plate and spreading them out into a thin layer. Season the steaks with just salt and then pushed both sides down onto the plate to coat them evenly with the crushed peppercorns. 2. On the hot frying pan add a glug of the olive oil (maybe plus butter?), swirl it about the pan and carefully place in the steaks. 3 minutes on the first side before flipping them over for about the same on the other side (for medium rare for 1/2 inch sirloin) 3. Transfer the sirloins to a plate and cover them loosely in foil to keep warm while making a sauce 4. Add the finely chopped shallot and crushed garlic to the pan where steaks were. Cook for a few minutes, until the shallots start to soften, and pour in a splash of dry sherry. As the sherry bubbled away, scrape the bottom of the pan to fetch off the brown sediment that was left over from frying the steaks. After about half a minute more, stir in the cream, mustard and green peppercorns (which were previously rinsed and drained). A little Gordon Ramsay chef’s trick next – take the plate that the steaks had been resting on and drained in the released juices for flavour. Let the sauce simmer away for a few more minutes until it had reduced to a nice consistency – it should lightly coat the back of a spoon. 5. After a final adjustment for seasoning, place a steak on each plate and spooned over the sauce. Can serve with a simple cabbage and spring onion mash.