Friend of Julie: Steak au Poivre

 

Rib-Eye Steak au Poivre with Balsamic Reduction

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
• 4 (3/4-inch-thick) boneless rib-eye steaks (3/4 pound each)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Coarsely grind peppercorns with a mortar and pestle. Pat steaks dry and coat both sides with peppercorns, pressing to adhere. Season with salt.

Heat oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Reduce heat to moderate and cook steaks, 2 at a time, about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.

Transfer steaks to a platter. Add vinegar to skillet and deglaze by boiling over high heat, scraping up brown bits. Simmer vinegar until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining tablespoon butter until melted. Season sauce with salt and drizzle over steaks.

Okay, so I did this video and still didn't remember to turn the camera, so it's all very narrow. I decided to upload this clip for the fun of it, but I probably won't pull the entire video into one story.