Steak with Green Peppercorn Sauce

Happy belated Father’s Day to all the fathers! I didn’t get to see mine yesterday as he was off playing at the beach, but I did see him Saturday at my mock-graduation celebration of sorts [aka they took me out for food and drinks at one of my favorite places, The Old Gold].

The dinner I made last night would have done him proud, though. He loves a good steak, and this green peppercorn sauce was extra delicious. I’ve been on the lookout for this green pepper sauce that we had in Italy, but I can’t seem to find any recipes for it. I thought maybe it was a chimichurri sauce of some kind. I’ll have to try it and see. Regardless, you can’t go wrong with some cream and port and beef broth. The green peppercorns are really intense. Even after rinsing them, they have a punchy tang to them. They also like to hide in the grocery store. I almost didn’t find them, but they were nestled next to the 28,309,283,029 jars of capers.

The weirdest thing about this recipe, and it had me really nervous, is that you cook the steak and keep it in a warm oven while you make the sauce. That’s all well and good except the sauce takes almost 30 minutes. Weird, right? I kept the oven around 200º and it didn’t dry out the steak, or leave it exceptionally tough, but it still felt a little odd to have a warm steak smothered in a hot sauce. You could always make the sauce first, but then you don’t have the lovely cooked steak bits to mix in there. Priorities.

Steaming up some broccoli and topping it with sharp cheddar was the perfect vehicle for all of the extra sauce. You see, I made a full batch of sauce for only two steaks [instead of the original four]. I suggest you do the same. It’s so, so rich and delicious.

Inspiration: Saveur

Ingredients

• 2 sirloin steaks, about 1″ thick [1lb]
• salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1 1/4 cup ruby port
• 1 3/4 cup beef broth [I bought some more Better than Bouillon, and I love it just as much as the veggie]
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4  cup brine-cured green peppercorns, rinsed and coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Preparation

1. Bring the steaks to room temperature and cover both sides with salt while you prepare all of the other ingredients.
2. Preheat the oven to 200º and prepare some foil to use as a tent for the finished steaks.
3. Coat a large skillet with olive oil [I sprayed using the Misto] and heat to medium-high.
4. Place the steaks into the pan.
5. Cook for 3 minutes before flipping.
6. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, and remove to an oven safe plate [My steaks came out medium-rare. Adjust accordingly].
7. Cover with the aluminum foil tent and place in the oven while you make the sauce.
8. Without cleaning the pan, add the shallot.
9. Stir, coating with grease, for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
10. Pour in the port.
11. Use the bottom of your stirring utensil to scrape up all the steak bits on the bottom.
12. Bring to a boil, allowing to reduce 5-6 minutes until only 1/4 cup is left.
13. Add the beef broth, stir, and bring to a boil for 10-12 minutes. It should get thick and syrupy.
14. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream.
15. Once fully incorporated, return to the heat and bring to another boil for 6-8 minutes.
16. Stir in the peppercorns and vinegar.
17. Taste.
18. Add salt and pepper as necessary.
19. Pour over your prepared steaks and serve.