Peppercorn Sauce for Steak
Just like the one from a steakhouse! This creamy peppercorn sauce is fragrant and spicy — a perfect match for beef. But it's also great with any simple meat or poultry dish. Let's make it the way the pros do.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
How do you make peppercorn sauce? Gather your ingredients. Use whole peppercorns rather than pre-ground — they're far more fragrant. Any cream will work, but the higher the fat, the richer the sauce. I'm using filtered water because I don't care for broths, but you can swap in beef stock, which will really deepen the flavor. The onion is traditionally a small red one.
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Step 2:
Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet. Don't substitute vegetable oil here — that buttery note is key to the sauce.
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Step 3:
Finely chop the onion. Grate the garlic on a fine grater. Sauté everything together for 5 minutes, stirring now and then.
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Step 4:
Pour boiling water into the pan so the cooking doesn't stall. Watch your hands so you don't get burned by the steam. Over medium heat, let the moisture cook off for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. This brings the onion up to done.
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Step 5:
Crush the peppercorns in a mortar. Don't overdo it — you want pieces about a millimeter across. I recommend grinding the pepper right before cooking; freshly ground is in a whole different league from pre-ground when it comes to aroma and bite.
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Step 6:
Once the liquid has cooked off, pour in the cream. Mine is light cream, but it'll taste even better with something richer — just keep in mind that bumps up the calorie count.
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Step 7:
It took me about 6 minutes of simmering for the sauce to thicken slightly, but that will vary. Once it does, add the crushed pepper and stir.
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Step 8:
Reduce the heat to low and let the cream reduce for about 3 more minutes. Stir constantly so it doesn't stick to the pan.
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Step 9:
When the sauce holds a trail from your spatula, it's ready. Season with salt and taste, then take it off the heat. Remember, it will thicken quite a bit more as it cools!
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Step 10:
Pour the sauce into a container suitable for an immersion blender and blend until smooth. Keep the blender head fully submerged — it tends to splatter otherwise. The sauce can be served right away.
- By the time the sauce is done, your steaks should be ready to serve too. If you're not serving it right away, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce so it doesn't form a dry skin.
- Adjust the amount of pepper to your taste! Not everyone likes it fiery.
- The sauce comes out thick and sweet-spicy, with the concentrated cream and onion coming through.
- With a sauce like this, you may not even need to put salt and pepper on the table for the steak :)
- Enjoy!
- To keep onions from making your eyes water, rinse the knife in cold water as you chop.
- Since everyone's threshold for salty, sweet, bitter, sharp, sour, and spicy is different, always add spices and seasonings to your own taste! If you're using a seasoning for the first time, keep in mind that some are especially easy to overdo (pepper, for example).
- For cooking, it's best to use neutral-tasting filtered or bottled water. Tap water can leave the dish with an off, characteristic aftertaste.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Buttermilk - 36 kcal/100g
- Cream of 20% fat content - 300 kcal/100g
- Cream of 10% fat content - 120 kcal/100g
- Cream - 300 kcal/100g
- Garlic - 143 kcal/100g
- Butter 82% - 734 kcal/100g
- Amateur unsalted butter - 709 kcal/100g
- Unsalted peasant butter - 661 kcal/100g
- Peasant salted butter - 652 kcal/100g
- Melted butter - 869 kcal/100g
- Black pepper peas - 255 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Water - 0 kcal/100g
- Onion - 41 kcal/100g
