Steak Au Poivre

Directions

1. Tenderloin Steaks: Trim any silver skin and excess fat on the tenderloin. Season liberally with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
2. Roll in plastic and sous vide at 125 F for 25 minutes. Shock in an ice bath then remove from plastic and portion 6oz steaks.
3. Place 1/2 cup of black peppercorns into a zip log bag and crush with a mallet or heavy object, cracking the peppercorns into small brunoise size bits. Shake peppercorns through a fine sieve, reserving larger bits to crust tenderloin steaks.
4. Crust tenderloin portions with crushed black peppercorn mix. Temper steaks at room temperature for at least 30 min before cooking.
5. In a large pan, heat grape-seed oil and sauté shallots, cremini mushrooms, and garlic until heavily caramelized.
6. Deglaze the pan with Madeira and cook until au sec. Once au sec, add veal demi, sprig of thyme, and reduce the sauce by half. Strain and reserve. This will be your veal sauce base (have this step ready before searing the steak).
7. Cooking Steaks: In a hot cast iron pan, sear steak for 2 minutes on each side.
8. Add 1/2 head of garlic and bundle of thyme to the pan with 1/2 cup of butter. Baste butter over steak until a nice golden crust begins to form.
9. Transfer steaks to a cooling rack and rest for 10 minutes while you finish the sauce.
10. In a small sauce pan, combine equal parts veal sauce base and heavy cream on medium high heat. Reduce by 20% before removing from the heat and adding a tablespoon of creme friache. Finish sauce with a splash of Madeira.
11. Once steak has rested and the sauce is finished plate each steak. Begin with 2 tablespoons of sauce on the plate in a circular motion and placing each steak on top. Add another spoonful of sauce to top each steak.
12. Served best with a glass of pinot noir and voilà! Bon Appetit!