Sauce · French
Peppercorn sauce
Cracked black pepper, shallot, stock and cream. The classic steak sauce, ready in 15 minutes.
Peppercorn sauce is the best-known partner for a steak. Coarsely crushed black pepper, shallot, stock and cream are reduced together in the pan the meat was cooked in. It is ready in 15 minutes and goes just as well with pork chops as with steak.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp peppercorns, black, whole
- 20 g butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp brandy, optional (optional)
- 150 ml beef stock
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- salt, to taste
Method
- Crush the peppercorns coarsely in a pestle and mortar, or under the base of a heavy pan on a board, until most are cracked into halves and quarters. Coarse pieces give the sauce its warm bursts of heat.
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. If you have cooked steak, use that pan with all but a teaspoon of the fat poured off. Add the shallot with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the crushed pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. If using brandy, take the pan off the heat, pour it in (stand back, it can flare), then return it to the heat and let it bubble until almost gone, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the stock and scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Boil over a high heat until it has reduced by about half and the bubbles turn larger and slower, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and the mustard, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes. Taste and add salt.
- Goes best with steak: spoon it over sliced sirloin or rib-eye, with chips or our roast potatoes. It is equally good with pork chops or a seared chicken breast. It keeps for 2 days in the fridge; reheat gently and loosen with a splash of stock.
Tips
- Crush the pepper coarsely. Fine ground pepper turns the sauce grey and harsh.
- Always add brandy with the pan off the heat, and never pour it straight from the bottle near a flame.
- Make it in the steak pan: the browned bits left behind give the sauce a deeper, meatier flavour.
Common questions
Can I make peppercorn sauce without brandy?
Yes. The brandy is optional; leave it out and the sauce still tastes rich and peppery. A splash of red wine or a little extra stock works instead.
Can I use ground pepper?
Coarsely crushed whole peppercorns are much better. Fine ground pepper turns the sauce grey and makes it harsh rather than warm.