Steak Au Poivre with Mushroom and Tarragon Sauce

This steak au poivre recipe is a real gem.

It is one of those recipes that is quite gourmet, but as you can see from the instructions below, very simple to make.

I love recipes like these. You can entertain with flair and easily turn out a restaurant quality meal, right at home in your own kitchen.

This is a great dish for a special occasions and entertaining, yet is a quick and easy dinner recipe to prepare any day of the week.

The recipe comes from Pam who has her own terrific recipe website (see below for more information).

This is what Pam says about her delectable steak au poivre recipe:

"We first sampled this dish, on one of our Mediterranean food adventures, in a little restaurant in Cannes, on the southern coast of France. It was wonderful.

Unfortunately we have found it rare to get a perfect steak in a restaurant, which can be so dissappointing. So now we cook this at home using our great local butchers fillet of beef, and its always stunning. Served with a lovely bottle of red wine it cannot be beaten."

Steak Au Poivre

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
4 lean, trimmed fillet steaks, or sirloin steak if you prefer, at room temperature (about 1-1/2 inch thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
6 ounces button mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons brandy
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 beef stock cube dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon of cornflour mixed with a little water
salt to taste

To dry roast the peppercorns, put them into a small pan and roast them over a medium heat. Give them a little shake every so often. This should take only a 2 - 3 minutes....be careful not to burn them. Turn off the heat and let them sit until they have cooled, then coarsely crush them in a pestle and mortar.

Scatter the pepper mixture on to the base of a plate, and use it to coat each steak evenly.

Pour the olive oil into a heavy skillet and place on a high heat. When the oil and the pan are searingly hot its time to cook the steaks. Place each steak into the skillet leaving a good gap around each one.

Allow the steaks to cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare....4 minutes each side for medium.....2-3 minutes more each side for well done.

When cooked to your taste remove the pan from the heat, take out the steaks and keep warm.

Return the pan to a medium heat, add the mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes increase the heat and add the brandy and deglaze, light the liquor and flambe. Add the red wine the stock and the tarragon, stirring well, then allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Add the cornflour mix and stir until thickened. Season if necessary.

Arrange the steaks on 4 warm plates and pour some sauce over each one. Any left over sauce can be served separately, it will not go to waste!!

Serve with your favourite vegetables.

Serves 4.

• Use a variety of peppercorns for a subtle difference in taste and great visual appeal. You can purchase peppercorn mixes that combine black, pink and green peppercorns. It looks gorgeous in this recipe.