One of my favourite steak sauces – a creamy Peppercorn Sauce made with brandy or cognac, beef broth, cream and plenty of crushed peppercorns.
A steakhouse classic, this creamy pepper sauce with juicy steak is a match made in heaven. And it’s made with just 4 ingredients. Four. FOUR!!!
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce – a Steakhouse classic
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce was always my first choice at steakhouses which I frequented quite regularly back in my corporate days.
Having traded in suits and heels for an apron, there’s no corporate lunches for me anymore. I make my steaks at home!
There are a handful of truly great sauces in this world that are deceptively simple to make, and this creamy pepper sauce for steak is one of them.
How to make Creamy Peppercorn Sauce
This is an exceptionally simple sauce to make with few ingredients, making for a quick dinner any night:
- Cook steak to your taste, then remove and rest while you make the sauce;
- Make sauce: In the same pan, add brandy or cognac, simmer rapidly for 1 minute until the alcohol smell is gone;
- Add beef broth/stock, and simmer rapidly until it reduces by half (intensifies the flavour);
- Stir through cream and crushed peppercorns. Serve over steak!
TIPS:
- The alcohol brings incredible depth of flavour to the sauce, it’s the secret ingredient. Classic creamy peppercorn sauce is made cognac or brandy, but I’ve made this plenty of times with marsala too. I love ’em all!
- Using freshly crushed peppercorns are best for a really great pepper flavour. Or use canned green peppercorns for less heat.
PS Note how I’m searing the sides of the steak ↑↑↑ Always sear the fat strip. Nobody likes a big fat rubbery strip of fat on their steak!
Quick for midweek!
Serve it up with Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Paris Mash and a quick Garlic Spinach side for a true Steakhouse experience! – Nagi x
PS It’s worth getting a decent steak for this one. If you get a really good value economy steak, try my Steak Marinade instead – it will tenderise and add subtle flavour. 🙂
Try these on the side:
- For a Steakhouse experience – Paris Mash and Garlic Sautéed Spinach
- Lemon Roasted Potatoes or Lemon Potato Salad
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes or Potatoes au Gratin
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Parmesan Roasted Green Beans
And more great steak sauces:
- A Mushroom Sauce for Steak
- Garlic Thyme Butter Basted Steak – a simple, amazing Cheffy technique for cooking steak
- Steak with Chimichurri Sauce
- Mushroom Gravy – use the sauce in this Chicken with Mushroom Gravy
- Beef Steak Marinade
- Asian Steak Sauce
Creamy Peppercorn Sauce for Steak
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Steak with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 x 300g/10oz New York Strip / Porterhouse steaks (or other of choice, Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Sauce:
- 1/3 cup / 85 ml brandy or cognac (or marsala) (Note 2)
- 3/4 cup / 185 ml beef broth , low sodium (important! Note 3)
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml heavy / thickened cream
- 2 - 3 tsp coarsely crushed whole black peppercorns (or canned green peppercorns, drained) (Note 4)
Instructions
- Take the steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes before planning to cook.
- Crush the pepper using a rolling pin, mortar and pestle or the side of a hardy knife.
Steaks:
- Just before cooking, sprinkle both sides of steak generously with salt and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking.
- Add steaks and cook the first side for 2 minutes until it has a great crust, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes (for medium rare).
- Stack the steaks on top of each other, then use tongs to sear the fat strip.
- Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil to rest while you make the sauce.
Sauce:
- Add brandy or cognac into the same skillet and let it simmer rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pan, until it has mostly reduced and you can no longer smell the harsh alcohol smell (~1 min).
- Add broth, bring to simmer and let it simmer rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes or until it reduces by half.
- Turn heat down to medium. Add cream and pepper, stir, then simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it thickens (do not let it boil rapidly).
- Taste sauce, adjust salt (and pepper!) to taste.
- Transfer steaks to warmed serving plates. Spoon over sauce. Serve immediately! Pictured with Crispy Smashed Potatoes and Garlic Spinach. (Note 6)
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Mandatory post op daily icing involves building blocks, frozen veg and Dozer with his eyes closed the whole time – “OMG it’s so cold, it’s so cold, it’s soooo cooold!!!”
Hi there, if I do not have thickened cream , can I used evaporating milk?
In my country, its hard to get thickened cream
I just made the sauce to go with the chateaubriand I made for xmas dinner and it was amazing! I’m definitely going to make more to put on everything I can think of.
Wahoo!!!
Great recipe. It’s how we do our steak! Like the way you also sear the sides of the steak.
As a variation, we blitz in a spice grinder dried porcinis, sea salt, and black pepper and sprinkle that mix on both sides of steak. Then add some sliced mushrooms at the brandy stage. The porcini/salt/pepper mix is now one of our pantry staples. Can be added to lots of things (just adjust the salt in the recipe)!
Sounds divine Heather!
Made this a couple of times – so good. Thanks!
You’re so welcome Linda!
I really loved this recipe because I love pepper so much. Easy to make, and so so tasty. Thanks, Nagi and please give Dozer a hug and kiss from me!
Steak recipes spot on. Thank you.
👌🏼 Thanks so much Tom!
Ive tried this recipe twice and its so thin, like soup. We grilled the steak so I didnt have any drippings. What might I be doing wrong
Hi Cathie, are you reducing it to thicken it? You can alternatively add a slurry of 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tbls water to the sauce to thicken – N x
To make your peppersauce even more magic and heavenly delicious i will give you an extra secret ingredient. Make the peppersauce excactly as per your recipe but just before the end as a final last step add a heaped teaspoon of good qualiry instant coffee and stir it into the peppersauce. I would say a heaped teaspoon to a normal sized coffee mug amount of peppersauce. Your tastebuds will be most pleasantly surprised and you will realize that the adding of the instant coffee creates the best ever most sublime peppersauce. Amen👌
Sounds interesting Fred, I’ll have to try it!
Hi Nagi you definitely must, you will be astounded. The measurement I gave you is perhaps a bit too strong though, rather start off with a flat teaspoon of good quality instant coffee granules to a coffee mug size portion of pepper sauce. You can always add more to taste if necessary. I like using Nescafe Gold Instant Coffee Granules. Here are some other links with great recipes where coffee is a secret ingredient. It just adds so much more depth to many recipes. Enjoy 🙂 https://www.mashed.com/48721/recipes-use-coffee-secret-ingredient/
https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/how-to/2012/02/how-to-use-instant-coffee
https://greatist.com/health/healthy-coffee-recipes
Oh by the way…I love LOVE curries, my favorite being a Lamb Curry. Add a teaspoon or more of instant coffee depending on the amount of Curry. It adds that secret magic touch to a curry as well
Hallo again Nagi just an update……he amount of instant coffee should be about a flat teaspoon of instant coffee to a large coffeemug size amount of peppersauce. You can always add more to taste. Here are some great recipes where Instant Coffee Granules are the magic secret ingredient. I like using Nescafe Gold Instant Coffee Granules.
https://greatist.com/health/healthy-coffee-recipes
https://www.mashed.com/48721/recipes-use-coffee-secret-ingredient/
https://www.yummy.ph/lessons/cooking/6-unexpected-ways-to-use-instant-coffee-in-the-kitche