I learned to make steak aux poivre with mushroom sauce watching my chef from Rome, Angelo. Usually he kept things American-friendly, but we made hanger steak aux poivre the old way. Each steak was rolled in fresh ground black pepper and seared in a hot pan.
At the restaurant, the pepper steaks would come back occasionally if people thought they were too spicy. In hindsight it was understandable since how steak aux poivre is made will vary greatly from kitchen to kitchen.
Depending on the chef you might get pickled green peppercorns or a peppercorn blend. My least favorite is a dusting of old, stale black pepper. I want the crunchiest crunch of hot peppercorns. At your house, you might tone it down a bit.
You want whole black peppercorns here. Tellicherry peppercorns are the best. Theyre the same dried fruit as regular black peppercorns, just bigger and more aromatic.
Part of the what makes steak aux poivre delicious is the crunch. Each addictive, abusive bite shoots a fresh wave of fire and bracing pepper into your senses.
What you dont want, is black peppercorns ground into a powder. The peppercorns should be crunchy.
A spice grinder can work, but usually Id only allow my cooks to crush the corns with the back of a pan, or grind by hand in a mortar and pestle.
After the corns are coarsely ground, theyre passed through a china cap sieve or a colander with large holes. Large corns are re-ground and combined with the rest for a consistent size.
Ill usually garnish with a pan sauce. Red wine, brandy, mushrooms, caramelized onions or cream would all would be welcome.
Reduced stock or demi-glace is often added too. Most restaurants, especially private clubs and chains will use demi-glace concentrate but I dont recommend that.
I use dried porcini mushrooms here, but you can use fresh mushrooms too. Black trumpet mushrooms are another good option.
You want whole black peppercorns here. Tellicherry peppercorns are the best. Theyre the same dried fruit as regular black peppercorns, just bigger and more aromatic.
Reduced stock or demi-glace is often added too. Most restaurants, especially private clubs and chains will use demi-glace concentrate but I dont recommend that.
Part of the what makes steak aux poivre delicious is the crunch. Each addictive, abusive bite shoots a fresh wave of fire and bracing pepper into your senses.
I use dried porcini mushrooms here, but you can use fresh mushrooms too. Black trumpet mushrooms are another good option.
Ill usually garnish with a pan sauce. Red wine, brandy, mushrooms, caramelized onions or cream would all would be welcome.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
I recently had textbook-perfect steak au poivre at Gjusta in Venice, CA. If you haven’t had it before, it’s a classic French dish of steak drenched in creamy pepper sauce. It’s old school, but I think it deserves a comeback, which is why it got a spot in my first cookbook, out this April. A nice cut of steak is pan-fried (turn on all your vents and open the windows), and its juices, along with cognac, cream, and black pepper turn into a pan sauce of your 10 p.m. Parisian dinner dreams. Make sure to use freshly ground pepper, which has a brighter, fresher flavor than the preground stuff. Whether you use a mortar and pestle or a pepper mill, grind or crack the peppercorns as coarsely as possible so they add big pops of flavor and crunch. —Molly Baz
How to Make Steak Au Poivre | Classic French Recipe
FAQ
What type of meat is hanger?
What does au poivre means?
What does hanger steak taste like?