Happy New Year everyone! As I mentioned in a previous post, what a year 2020 has been. One thing that has made this year manageable was getting a better kitchen and exploring the world of food and wine right from our home. Typically on New Year’s Eve, we would be out with friends and family ringing in the new year but of course this year is a bit different. We decided not to let the change in pace stop us from having an amazing quiet night and why not have great steak too? To ring in the new year, we decided to make Steak au Poivre with Brandied Cream Sauce and roasted asparagus. We followed the Cook’s Illustrated recipe but made a slight variation due to using a 32 oz dry-aged ribeye steak from Snake River Farms instead of 4 strip steaks. While we cannot go out and see fireworks this year, this steak truly makes being stuck in quarantine just a little better. We outlined how we made it below!

Ingredients

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven or smoker to 275 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, sprinkle both sides of steak with salt; rub one side with 1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns, and, using fingers, press peppercorns into steaks to make them adhere. Place steak into a deep medium cast iron skillet and place into preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature is 105 F.
3. While steak is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon butter in medium saucepan over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add beef and chicken broths, increase heat to high, and boil until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Set reduced broth mixture aside.
4. Take steak out of oven or smoker once steak has hit 105F internal and let it rest on a cutting board. Heat up the cast iron skillet at medium-high or high heat and cook the steak 2 minutes on each side or until it hit 120 F internal. Put back onto cutting board, tented with aluminum foil, and put the pan back onto the stovetop. Let steak rest for at least 10 minutes.
5. Pour reduced broth, cream, and 1/4 cup brandy into now-empty skillet; increase heat to high and bring to boil, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Simmer until deep golden brown and thick enough to heavily coat back of metal tablespoon or soup spoon, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter, remaining 1 tablespoon brandy, lemon juice or vinegar, and any accumulated meat juices. Adjust seasonings with salt.
6. Cut steak against the grain and place steak slices onto individual dinner plates, spoon portion of sauce over steaks, and serve immediately.

As with any steak meal, you can’t forget the sides and wine. We decided to have a Latitud 42 Rioja Grand Reserva, 2010 (decanted for about 4 hours) and asparagus on the side. However, you could use any side dish and bold red wine like Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Tempranillo!

We hope you enjoyed our lasted blog post. Please leave comments and likes! We would love to hear if you tried any of the recipes and anything you learned along the away.

K&M