The Key To A Perfect Au Poivre Steak Sauce Starts With The Base

Steak au poivre is one of those rare retro dishes that continues to hold up decades after its heyday. While black pepper is a key component to practically every steak seasoning blend, steak au poivre turns up the pepper power with a cracked black pepper crust and rich, creamy pepper sauce to balance the intensity of the peppercorns. And a perfect steak au poivre starts with the right sauce base, according to Matthew Kreider, executive chef at Steak 954, a luxury boutique steakhouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "To make a nice sauce, you need a good base."

Most steak au poivre sauce recipes boil down to three key ingredients — butter, brandy, and cream — but Kreider's sauce has a very special base that adds an unmatchable silkiness. "We make our own veal stock in the restaurant," he says. "It gives the sauce its trademark texture." While veal stock probably isn't an accessible ingredient for most home cooks to make or even buy, there are alternatives that will do the trick. "You can find a nice product at specialty stores," Kreider says. "Look for demi-glace." Demi-glace, a highly concentrated reduction of beef or veal stock and espagnole sauce, is like ordinary stock's super-powered sibling. You can find it at most major supermarkets, and, barring that, it's even available to be shipped to your door via online retailers.

Like any pan sauce, the creamy sauce in steak au poivre begins when you remove the steak to rest and deglaze the pan with liquid. Brandy is the deglazing liquid of choice, and whether you keep it traditional with cognac or switch it up with your favorite variation, make sure to use it liberally. "It takes more brandy than you think," says Matthew Kreider. "Also don't forget the green peppercorns!"

Using different types of peppercorns in your steak au poivre adds complexity to the dish. Green peppercorns, which you can find packed in brine near the capers in the supermarket, add a brightness to the sauce that black peppercorns alone can't achieve. You may even want to consider making a little more sauce than you need for the steak — au poivre steak sauce also makes an excellent dip for french fries. And as Geoffrey Zakarian suggests, be sure to give your steak plenty of rest time before cutting into it to avoid spoiling your beautiful sauce with a messy-looking pool of red juices.