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5.0 from 57 votes

Sauce au Poivre

As I mentioned, you can use really any meat with this. I prefer it with venison or waterfowl.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 716 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • 4 steaks (duck breasts, small goose breasts, venison, elk, bison, beef, etc)
  • salt
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 minced shallot
  • 1/3 cup brandy (or sherry)
  • 1/2 cup demi glace or glace de viande, or 1 cup duck or beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon roughly cracked black peppercorns
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons green peppercorns
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Take the steaks out and salt them well. If you are cooking goose breasts, let them sit out a solid 30 to 45 minutes. Generally, the thinner the steak the shorter the time it needs to come to temperature. And if you make this with streaks 1/4 inch or thinner, take them right out of the fridge and into the hot pan.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. When the butter is hot, pat the steaks dry with paper towels and lay them in the pan so they don't touch each other. Sear them, turning only once, until they are done to your liking, using the finger test for doneness. If you are using duck or goose breasts, follow my instructions for cooking a duck breast here. Put the steaks on a cutting board to rest while you make the sauce.
  3. Make sure you have only about 2 to 3 tablespoons of fat in the pan; if you've cooked duck or goose breasts you will need to remove some. Add the shallot and sauté until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the brandy and boil this down by half.
  4. Add the pepper, peppercorns and glace de viande or stock, bring it to a boil and let this boil furiously until you can drag a wooden spoon through the center of the pan and watch it leave a trail. This typically takes about 2 to 4 minutes.
  5. Turn the heat to low and mix in the cream. When the sauce stops bubbling, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, swirling it in to incorporate it. Doing this should prevent the butter from separating. Serve either over or under your steaks.

Notes

  • I really prefer to use a good glace de viande or demi-glace for this recipe, as it moves things along faster and adds a lot of body to the sauce. But don't let this stop you from making the recipe: I've also used low-sodium beef stock and boiled it down and it works, too.

Nutrition Information

Calories 716kcal (36%) Carbohydrates 6g (2%) Protein 50g (100%) Fat 50g (77%) Saturated Fat 25g (125%) Cholesterol 188mg (63%) Sodium 497mg (21%) Potassium 650mg (19%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 616IU (12%) Calcium 40mg (4%) Iron 5mg (28%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 716

% Daily Value*

Calories 716kcal 36%
Carbohydrates 6g 2%
Protein 50g 100%
Fat 50g 77%
Saturated Fat 25g 125%
Cholesterol 188mg 63%
Sodium 497mg 21%
Potassium 650mg 14%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 616IU 12%
Calcium 40mg 4%
Iron 5mg 28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.