National Steak au Poivre Day is September 9th

Preparing Steak Au Proivre by JSPATCHWORK

National Steak au Poivre Day – Oh I just love it – steak au poivre that is…. and when it’s good, it’s really good! So let’s get right to it…who wants the recipe? I do, I do – with hands waving up at high as they can…

Steak au Poivre Recipe:
Courtesy of Alton Brown – I had to go to the top for this one…

4 tenderloin steaks, 6 to 8 ounces each and no more than 1 1/2 inches thick
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup Cognac, plus 1 teaspoon
1 cup heavy cream

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour prior to cooking. Sprinkle all sides with salt.Coarsely crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, the bottom of a cast iron skillet, or using a mallet and pie pan. Spread the peppercorns evenly onto a plate. Press the fillets, on both sides, into the pepper until it coats the surface. Set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. As soon as the butter and oil begin to turn golden and smoke, gently place the steaks in the pan. For medium-rare, cook for 4 minutes on each side. Once done, remove the steaks to a plate, tent with foil and set aside. Pour off the excess fat but do not wipe or scrape the pan clean.

Off of the heat, add 1/3 cup Cognac to the pan and carefully ignite the alcohol with a long match or firestick. Gently shake pan until the flames die. Return the pan to medium heat and add the cream. Bring the mixture to a boil and whisk until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the teaspoon of Cognac and season, to taste, with salt. Add the steaks back to the pan, spoon the sauce over, and serve.

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Chef Maven suggests pairing this up with green beans, a bright salad, and crispy roasted red bliss baby potatoes to make a delightful meal. If you are drinking wine – a deep caberet would be suggested, one which is heavy in flavor to match up against the steak.

Other important things that happened on this date, September 9th in history:
courtesy of foodreference.com

1754 William Bligh was born. He became captain of the English ship, ‘Bounty,’ and while sailing to Tahiti to bring back breadfruit trees, the most famous mutiny in history took place.

1890 Harland Sanders was born near Henryville, Indiana. Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food restaurant chain. I love the smell of his food, but have issues with how they preprare the chicken so to speak…so I do not support KFC.

1901 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec died. French artist who documented Parisian night life in the 1890s with his insightful posters.

1995 Orville Redenbacher died. Founder of gourmet popcorn company. And I still love his popcorn – love to do rosemary popcorn in browned butter.. mmmm

1999 ‘Catfish’ Hunter, baseball pitcher, died. wow somehow I missed this.