CLASSIC STEAK AU POIVRE FOR TWO

SERVES 2

Okay, this is not a classic preparation, since I’ve changed the recipe a little, swapping Cognac for Calvados, and adding a little grated apple to the sauce, but it tastes like a classic, I assure you. The recipe works equally well with striploin as it does with tenderloin. Creamy, a little peppery, a little smoky, with a whiff of apple—you’ll declare yourself awesome after cooking and eating this, and you’ll be well within your rights to do so.

2 STRIPLOIN OR TENDERLOIN STEAKS(1 INCH THICK)

2 TEASPOONS SALT

1/2 TABLESPOON UNSALTED BUTTER, SOFTENED

4 TABLESPOONS COARSELY CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER (USE A BLENDER, SPICE GRINDER, OR MORTAR AND PESTLE)

1 SHALLOT, FINELY DICED

1/2 APPLE, PEELED, CORED, AND GRATED

1 CUP CHICKEN OR BEEF STOCK

1/4 CUP CALVADOS

1 CUP CRÈME FRAÎCHE

FRESH FLAT-LEAF PARSLEY LEAVES AND TENDER STEMS, CHOPPED, FOR GARNISH

ALEPPO PEPPER OR KOREAN GOCHUGARU PEPPER, FOR GARNISH

SEASON YOUR STEAK with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon per side). Let sit at room temperature for no longer than 30 to 40 minutes before cooking.

USING YOUR HANDS, lather butter evenly on just one side of the steak. Press a little less than 1 tablespoon black pepper onto each side of the steak, distributing it as evenly as possible.

HEAT A DRY HEAVY PAN over high heat for 5 minutes, and cook steak, butter-side down, for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes. Continue cooking a few more minutes, flipping as needed, until a lovely crust forms and your steak reaches an internal temperature approaching 125°F in the middle. (The steak should be pinky-red inside when checked with a small incision.) Be sure to cook the fat cap of the striploin a little by holding the fatty edge of the steak against the bottom of the pan for a minute. Remove steak from the heat (reserve pan) and very loosely wrap it in foil. Let rest while you make your pan sauce.

IN THE SAME PAN over medium heat, melt a knob of butter. Add diced shallot and grated apple, and cook until shallot softens and just begins to darken, and apple begins to disintegrate. Add stock and bring to a simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add Calvados and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in crème fraîche and cook, stirring briskly, until the sauce has thickened to your desired consistency. Taste, and adjust salt if necessary, then push through a fine-mesh sieve to strain out the solids (optional, but nicer).

SERVE YOUR STEAK with the creamy sauce poured overtop, sprinkled with a little chopped parsley and Aleppo pepper.