Food - Drink
Why You Shouldn't Season Both Sides Of Steak Au Poivre
By LAUREN ROTHMAN
If you’re a lover of red meat, you may have tried steak au poivre, beef filets heavily seasoned with salt and black pepper, then seared in butter and draped in a cream-based pan sauce. This French dish is delicious, but a bit complicated to make, since that thick coat of black pepper can prevent the meat from searing properly.
Some recipes for steak au poivre call for coating both sides of the steak in seasoning. However, Serious Eats’ Daniel Gritzer found that the peppercorn crust prevented the meat from directly touching the pan, meaning the steak had no browning, and there was no fond (browned meat bits) sticking to the pan that would make for a great sauce.
As a solution, Gritzer advises seasoning the steak on one side only, then making an extra-peppery cream sauce in order to add all that spicy pepper flavor back into the dish. Chef Steve Corry seasons steak au poivre on just one side, as well, leading to a uniquely peppery steak that is still properly browned and flavorful.