SRC Reveal: Rustic Steak au Poivre

It's time for Group B's first reveal of 2016 for the Secret Recipe Club. Happy New Year! This month I was assigned to Amy's Cooking Adventures which is written by - yes, you guessed it! - Amy. Amy and I travel in similar cooking circles, so I'm surprised that I've never made anything from her blog. Till now.

So, a little bit about the lady behind the food. She loves to cook and bake. In fact, she runs a second blog dedicated to her sweets. Check out Amy's Confectionery Adventures! If you are a Star Wars fan, you must check out her Chewbacca Cupcakes and her R2-D2 Cake. We share a love of that little astromech droid! Here's my purse. I definitely need that cake in my life.

Amy has a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and Reading, but gave it all up to stay home with her children. She has three children - two sons on Earth (AKA Dude and Spud) and one angel baby in Heaven. She writes that in her spare time she loves to read, scrapbook, and sew. And, maybe, my favorite tidbit about Amy: "I despise housecleaning. I like to call my look 'organized chaos'." Me, too!! Well, my chaos might just be chaos. There's not much organization to it.

There is so much to love on Amy's blog. Check out her Dried Pineapple Flowers. I was so intrigued by her Roaring 20s Party, I will have to find an occasion to throw one. She's even hosted a Bacon Birthday Party! And, no surprise here, she's thrown a Star Wars Party. The gal definitely knows how to have fun. She has a recipe for an Irish Breakfast Shot and Champagne Truffles that I cannot wait to make. Thanks for all the inspiration, Amy.

 slightly adapted from Amy's Steak au Poivre

Ingredients serves 2

• 2 filet mignon steaks
• freshly ground salt
• 4 T compound butter (I made a juniper butter)
• 3 T black peppercorns, cracked
• 1 C onion, diced (okay, mine were slightly bigger than diced - whoops!)
• ¼ C whiskey (I used an Irish whiskey)
• 1 C beef broth
• ¼ C half and half
• ¼ C fresh parsley, freshly chopped

Procedure

Let the filet mignon come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Generously season the steaks with salt.

Heat the butter in a large, flat-bottom pan over medium-high heat.  Add 2 T butter to the pan. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, place the steaks in the pan and sear for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook the steaks to desired doneness.

Move the filet mignon to a plate. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the cracked peppercorns. Place 1 T butter on each steak and tent loosely with foil.

Place the onions into the same pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the whiskey and cook until mostly evaporated, scraping any browned bits. Pour in the stock and raise the temperature. Let the sauce reduce until a spoon leaves a trail.

Stir in the cream and cook until thickened.  Remove from heat. Stir in the parsley and the last 1 tablespoon of peppercorns. Pour the sauce over the steaks and serve. I served the filet mignon with smashed potatoes topped with more juniper compound butter.

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