Author Notes
When I think of foods intentionally set on fire, classical Steak Au Poivre springs to mind. I developed this recipe as a riff on that stalwart French dish, and took it through the pantry of Puebla, Mexico... all the better to include the darkest and most devilish ingredients suitable for a dance in the flames. I held on to the technique, as well as the key elements (peppercorns, cognac, cream, and butter), but added a molé-reminiscent list of spices, plus the devil's brew in the form of ground coffee, to the steak rub. Out of the flames comes a rich, dark, and spicy pan sauce, perfect over a seared steak topped with a charred chilé. - srirachayeah —indieculinary
Test Kitchen Notes
This is one of the tastiest simple meals I've made in a while. The flavors in the sauce came together in a mouth-tingling, multi-dimensional way that I would have never expected when reading through the list of ingredients. The sauce tasted like it was slowly cooked for hours. If you have a little bit of the rub left, I highly recommend tossing it in the pan for 30 seconds once the meat is removed and fat drained off. It gives the sauce a bit more of a kick. - thehappycook —Victoria Ross
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Ingredients
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2
boneless strip steaks (such as NY steaks)
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1 tablespoon
coarse, freshly-ground black peppercorns
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1/2 tablespoon
ground coffee
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1/2 tablespoon
unsweetened cocoa
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1 tablespoon
ground chile pasilla molido (may substitute ground New Mexico chile)
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1 teaspoon
cayenne pepper
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1 teaspoon
ground cumin
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1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon
ground cloves
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1 teaspoon
brown sugar
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2 tablespoons
unsalted butter, separated into 1 tablespoon portions
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2 tablespoons
olive oil
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1/4 cup
cognac
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1/2 cup
heavy cream
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2
jalape?o or large serrano chiles
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Sea salt
Directions
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Salt steaks generously a few hours in advance.
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Make dry rub: Combine ground black peppercorns, coffee, cocoa, ground chile, cayenne, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and brown sugar, and stir until incorporated. Set aside.
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At preparation time, char jalapenos over stovetop flame (hold with metal tongs) until skin is bubbly and blackened, and set aside.
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Pat steaks dry. Work dry rub into both sides of each steak.
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Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter together in large saucepan.
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Once oil and butter are hot, add steaks. Flip only once in order to get a nice, dark sear on each side. (2-4 minutes per side depending on thickness of steaks and desired done-ness.)
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Remove steaks from pan and set aside. Pour off remaining butter and oil.
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Keeping pan off heat, pour in the cognac.
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Dip pan, away from you, so that the cognac settles to where it is just touching the burner, as you return it to the heat. You should be rewarded with a nice flame emanating from the edge of the pan that touches the burner. Level pan and shake vigorously and carefully over the heat until the flames subside.
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Stir in cream and bring to a boil. Stir often until sauce thickens and reduces.
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Stir in last tablespoon of butter until incorporated and the sauce looks glossy, and remove from heat.
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Slice steaks on a bias and plate each of them; drizzle with a generous helping of pan sauce and top each with a charred chile. Sprinkle with a good finishing salt, and serve.
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