Steak au Poivre

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 lbsirloin steak, two thick steaks
• 3 tbspblack peppercorns, coarsely cracked, not ground
• 1 1/2 ozunsalted butter
• 1 tbspvegetable oil
• 1/4 cupbrandy
• 5/8 cupdouble cream
• 1 tspdijon mustard
• 1 tspsea salt

Method

1. 1

   Crush the peppercorns coarsely under a heavy pan. Salt the steaks, then press the cracked pepper firmly onto both cut faces so it sticks.

2. 2

   Heat the oil with half the butter until foaming and cook the steaks over high heat, about three minutes a side for medium-rare, then rest them on a warm plate.

3. 3

   Take the pan off the heat, pour in the brandy and set it alight or simply let it bubble away until the raw alcohol has gone, scraping up everything stuck to the base.

4. 4

   Stir in the mustard and the cream and simmer until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, then whisk in the remaining butter off the heat.

5. 5

   Tip any juices from the resting plate into the sauce, slice the steaks thickly and pour the sauce over.