Creamy Peppercorn Sauce Recipe For Steak and Beef (2024)

FAQs

How to make peppercorn sauce Jamie Oliver? ›

Ingredients. Primary ingredients are typically peppercorns and heavy cream. Additional ingredients may include butter, wine, brandy, such as cognac, shallots, garlic and additional seasonings, such as bay leaf, star anise, tarragon and salt. Some versions may incorporate liquor, such as whiskey.

A: The main difference between pepper sauce and peppercorn sauce lies in their key ingredients. Pepper sauce is crafted from chili peppers whereas peppercorn sauce is made from peppercorns specifically black, green, or other varieties.

More specifically— the Aztecs. Chilli is believed to be one of the earliest plants cultivated by humans, and archaeologists have found evidence of its use by the Aztecs as far back as 7000 BC. The first hot sauce in the world, most likely, consisted of ground-up chillies mixed with water and herbs.

Tip #2: Wait Until the Final Five

Focus on searing the meat and then cooking it until it reaches a safe inside temperature at the thickest part. Sauces are best applied near the end of cooking to prevent burning. Only baste it with sauce during the final five minutes of cooking.

The famous old sauce beloved of steak aficionados, usually termed simply peppercorn sauce, or pepper sauce (not to be confused with North America's ubiquitous 'hot sauce'), and the classic dish called Steak au Poivre are not exactly the same thing. One is all about the sauce, the other about the steak.

Flank steak is our cut of choice for pepper steak—it's marbled with fat, full of beefy flavor, and easy to cut into thin, tender slices. That being said, flank isn't your only option. Skirt steak will give you a very similar result, or if you're looking for a cheaper choice, sirloin is another great option.

Think of béarnaise as hollandaise sauce's bolder, more sophisticated brother. Whisked up egg yolks are given volume with melted butter and a tarragon-infused wine and vinegar reduction, which cuts through the richness perfectly. It might be a bit trickier to make than peppercorn, but it's well worth the effort.

How do you thicken peppercorn sauce? ›

If you would like an even thicker sauce, mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and add to sauce, whisking continuously. Cook for 1 minute more. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Taste and add season with more kosher salt and crushed black pepper as needed.

Add more liquid

If it is half-broken, add half as much again as the amount of oil that was used to break it in the first place. If it is completely broken, add equal volumes of oil and liquid. Start with a little bit and keep adding until the sauce comes back together into an emulsion. This may take a few iterations.

Black pepper, ubiquitous in table shakers and takeout packets, actually comes from peppercorn, the dried berry of a flowering vine native to Southeast Asia. The pepper most of us encounter is ground, and flavor and aroma-wise, a pale shadow of the whole peppercorn, freshly ground or cooked whole.

To make the sauce:

Put the roasting tin directly on a medium heat. Add the shallots and whisky and scrape up any sticky meat juices from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the shallots begin to soften and the whisky almost disappears but leaves a glaze on the bottom of the pan.

If you would like an even thicker sauce, mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and add to sauce, whisking continuously. Cook for 1 minute more. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Taste and add season with more kosher salt and crushed black pepper as needed.