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This creamy peppercorn sauce recipe for steak comes together in just 15 minutes! It’s the perfect sauce for beef dishes. And you don’t have to be a pro sauce maker to make it.
Chef hubs and I have been putting this creamy peppercorn sauce on everything from sous vide beef short ribs to porterhouse steak dishes. When we schedule a WFH lunch date, we make it a little more special by adding a quick sauce to the dish. We’re fancy like that!
Ingredients to make creamy peppercorn sauce
Make this steak sauce with just a handful of ingredients. Beef stock is the base. You can buy beef stock, use beef bouillon, or if sous vide cooking, you can use leftover beef juice from the bag. I’ve even substituted chicken stock, and beef broth, and the recipe turned out perfect.
In addition to beef stock, you’ll need butter, black peppercorns, dijon mustard, heavy cream, and a little salt.
Let’s whip up this tasty steak sauce
Heat a small saucepan on the stove to medium heat. Add butter.
When it melts, whisk in beef stock…
add the dijon mustard and heavy cream…
and then it’s time for the flavor-punch… add crushed peppercorns and salt.
Stir regularly as sauce thickens for 5-10 minutes.
It will get bubbly as it simmers. This is perfect. Keep moving it around with a spoon in the sauce pan so it doesn’t burn.
Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove the pan from heat to stop the cooking.
Immediately pour sauce on food or transfer to a sauce cup.
Creative ways to play with the flavor
Add a splash of red wine or brandy.
My recipe doesn’t have alcohol, but you’re welcome to add some in. I love to do this after searing something like sous vide t bone steaks in a cast-iron skillet. What you do is deglaze the pan on medium-high heat with a splash of red wine or brandy after you cook steak in it. Even though the removed steak is out of the pan, there are usually little bits leftover to scrape up with a spatula and mix in the sauce. Then reduce the heat to medium and follow the recipe as instructed.
Substitute green peppercorns.
The flavor of green peppercorns is a bit more mild flavored than black peppercorns. When making this sauce for chicken dishes, green peppercorns are a great choice.
Add caramelized shallots or onions.
Because, not a recipe goes by where I don’t suggest something like these red wine caramelized red onions. They’re good on everything!
Want some more sauce ideas? Check out my free sauce recipe ebook!
Add big flavor with DIY condiments
Creamy peppercorn sauce
Amp up Alfredo sauce from a jar
Jalapeno ranch dressing
Tomato sauce from crushed tomatoes
Cilantro lime dressing
Marinate chicken breasts in balsamic dressing
Sous vide steak marinade
Sous vide chicken breast marinade
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Creamy Peppercorn Sauce Recipe For Steak and Beef | Sip Bite Go
This creamy peppercorn sauce recipe for steak comes together in just 15 minutes! It’s the perfect sauce for beef dishes. And you don’t have to be a pro sauce maker to make it.
Heat a small saucepan on the stove to medium heat. Add butter. When it melts, whisk in beef stock, mustard, heavy cream, crushed peppercorns, and salt. Stir regularly as sauce thickens for 5-10 minutes. Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, remove the pan from heat to stop the cooking. Immediately pour sauce on food or transfer to a sauce cup.
Video
Notes
See the recipe: https://sipbitego.com/creamy-peppercorn-sauce
Brandy is the classic flavour for peppercorn sauce but you can easily substitute another spirit. Readers have used both whiskey and vermouth with success.
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.
A: The main difference between pepper sauce and peppercorn sauce lies in their key ingredients. Pepper sauce is crafted from chili peppers whereas peppercorn sauce is made from peppercorns specifically black, green, or other varieties.
Peppercorn sauce is packed full of rich and smoky flavours and has a delicious texture because of the double cream and beef broth. The ingredients for peppercorn sauce consist of banana shallots, Madagascar peppercorns, a splash of brandy, double cream, and a few other well-picked elements.
The famous old sauce beloved of steak aficionados, usually termed simply peppercorn sauce, or pepper sauce (not to be confused with North America's ubiquitous 'hot sauce'), and the classic dish called Steak au Poivre are not exactly the same thing. One is all about the sauce, the other about the steak.
Especially for those who don't want to add more acid to their hot sauce, sugar is a great way to cut the heat of almost any hot sauce. Of course, you don't have to add pure cane sugar.
Can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, add 1-2 tbsp stock or cream to peppercorn sauce in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour into your sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Peppercorn sauce was invented in France (as so many cream sauces are). And as is customary with French cuisine, you are welcome to add Cognac to the recipe too, if you're so inclined.
If it is half-broken, add half as much again as the amount of oil that was used to break it in the first place. If it is completely broken, add equal volumes of oil and liquid. Start with a little bit and keep adding until the sauce comes back together into an emulsion. This may take a few iterations.
You can make a cream sauce thicker by reducing it on the stovetop. If reducing the sauce doesn't work, or if you're in a rush, you can use a thickener to bulk up your sauce. Flour, butter, eggs, and cornstarch are simple ingredients that can make your cream sauce thicker.
If you still want to make this Peppercorn Sauce for Steak but can't or don't want to use alcohol such as brandy or cognac, you can substitute the alcohol with 1/3 cup beef stock or water. This will be used to deglaze the pan and pick up any flavorful bits after you've seared your steak.
Steak au Poivre is a steak covered in a peppercorn sauce. Steak Diane is a steak that is finished in a sauce made with brandy, cream, mushrooms, shallots and dijon mustard that is then flambe'd at the end. Both of them build the sauce using what remains in the pan.
The three peppercorn sauce is an old favourite in the Potts' household and is made using rich green peppercorns, spicy black pepper and fragrant pink peppercorns along with a splash of brandy. Simply warm the sauce in a pan after cooking your steak and pour over.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the flour and whisk together to form a roux. Cook the roux for 2-3 minutes, until it starts to turn a light brown color. Then add the beef stock, whisking until the sauce starts to thicken.
Bearnaise has the addition of peppercorns, tarragon and a jazzed up vinegar reduction. In a small saucepan, combine wine, vinegar, 2 sprigs tarragon, shallot and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 2 Tbsp liquid, about 20 minutes.
Black peppercorns, which are the most common, are picked before the berry is just ripe. They therefore have the strongest flavour of the peppercorn varieties – slightly hot with a tiny bit of sweetness. White peppercorns are a lot less strong and pungent than black peppercorns.
Unlike chile peppers that get their heat from capsaicin, peppercorns get their spiciness from a derivative called peperine. Peperine stimulates your taste buds, therefore enhancing the flavors of food.
Whisk sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, mustard, vinegar and garlic in bowl. Gradually whisk in pepper mixture until incorporated. Season with salt. Dressing can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 4 days.
Introduction: My name is Merrill Bechtelar CPA, I am a clean, agreeable, glorious, magnificent, witty, enchanting, comfortable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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