Filet Mignons with Pepper Cream Sauce

This is a very good variation of Steak Au Poivre. The cream sauce is very nice. The only thing I did differently was to cook the filets less. It is a standard misconception that 130 is medium rare. Not true. 120 will come up to medium rare,(125), once it sits for 5-7 minutes. Do NOT cut into the meat or poke it with a thermometer to check for doneness as all the juices will leak out. Figure 2-1/2 minutes per side on medium high for med rare. Please do not overcook filet. There is no fat on this cut and no margin for error!

I've been doing a similar recipe like this for years, but I flame the meat with cognac before adding the cream. Light cream is fine, but I advise against using milk or 1/2 & 1/2. The milk will always curdle. To flame anything, remove the pan from the heat, pour on a jigger of cognac, avert your face and ignite the cognac. Don't be alarmed if it flames up a lot. Alcohol burns at a lower temperature than most things, but if you're not careful, you could set your kitchen cabinets on fire. Set the meat aside to keep warm while you deglaze the pan with a small glass of red wine and stock. Let it cook down to half its volume, then add the cream and stir in a pat of butter for each filet. Enjoy!

I've been making this for many years having first ordered it in Dublin. Mine is the same up til the 3rd step. I set my steaks aside in a warm spot, I have an AGA so I set the plate (tented) on the warming area on the top my stove. I add the beef broth to my pan scraping up the bits and add about a half shot of whiskey (about 2TBS), flame it in the pan to burn off the alcohol, then add the cream and stir till thickened. There's only two of us, so just two steaks but I make the same amount to sauce, use half and refrigerate the rest for up to three days. The sauce is very good on a variety meats, especially a pork tenderloin.

I love beef with a creamy pepper sauce and this did not disapoint. I kicked the recipe up to my tastes as follows: Try with a NY Strip intead of the Filet. I coated the beef the with lots of coarsly cracked pepper and rubbed it in well. After I browned it in a scorching hot pan, i deglazed the pan with about 1/4 cup of brandy I turned the heat to med and added about a tablespoon of finely chopped shallots, then followed that with a little beef stock and let that cook to reduce a little. After that I added the heavy cream slowly until I had enough suace. I let that stay on the heat until it thickened a bit then poured it over the beef. It is a delicious sauce. Other cuts of beef work as well if not better than filet. Try this recipe with a ny strip before you take the plunge to filet.

This came out great! Thank you for the recipe. It was fun smashing up the peppercorns, and I was surprised that it didn't come out too spicy. I put a lid over the pan for a couple of minutes to get the middle to a "medium" level, which I prefer in my steaks. I added sauteed mushrooms and onions to go on top, and added sweet potato fries and asparagus from this website as sides. My friend said it was like eating at a fancy restaurant! It was delicious the next day as leftovers too! Great recipe, I'll definitely make again!

Great recipe! I seasoned the steaks with onion & garlic powder in addition to the salt & pepper. I also sauted mushrooms & onions and deglazed the pan with some cooking sherry before adding the beef broth & cream. Everyone loved the steaks and the sauce and there were no leftovers at all! Will definitely make this again!

Great recipe. Served for Father's Day and as good as any restaurant. I cooked my 1" sirloin steaks for 2 min on med-high each side for a perfect med rare to medium. I've tried it on the BBQ but it doesn't cook them hot enough and wastes the meat, the stove is a much better restaurant style result. I used some fresh ground pepper and some Keg Steak seasoning. For the sauce, I used 1/2 cup beef bouillon, 1/2 cup wine, 1/2 cup 10% cream and a teaspoon of cornstarch and cooked on low for 5 min. Perfect and delicious.

Made this tonight but with a couple of slight modifications: I added garlic powder along with the onion powder, I added a pat of butter on each side before I stuck it under the broiler to brown the meat better, and I sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top for the last two minutes of the final side to give it a nice encrusted flavor. It was AWESOME! The meat was so tender you cut almost cut it with a spoon. Will definitely make this one again.

This recipe is very similar to one I used to have in a French cookbook years ago. I like to deglaze the fry pan with 1/4 cup of Grand Marnier, then add cream that has already been whipped, that way you use less cream, slightly healthier (yikes). Drizzle the steaks with the sauce. Rib steaks or tenderloin. Great recipe

This is a great recipe, thank you. Two changes though...I deglazed with a splash of Sherry along with the beef broth and added 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the cream to thicken the sauce. The sauce may have been a little bland for our taste without the Sherry. This recipe deserves a 5 star rating despite my preferences. Shame on the reviewer for writing about grammatical errors???

I make almost the exact same recipe and I really love it. The small exception is adding 8 extra large shrimp (4 per person) My Mom taught me how to check if Filet Mignon is Medium Rare without a thermometer or even worse, cutting into the steak. Make a fist (not too tight - if you are digging your fingernails into your palm that is too tight) and push on the top of the fat pad (between your thumb and finger) if the fat pad area gives about 1/4" it's Medium Rare. For Medium Well, Turn your fist over and press on the fat pad at the base of your thumb. These tricks work every time.

I wouldn’t change a thing as it turned out to be a show stopper for the perfect family dinner. I served this with plantan potatoes and grilled vegetables. Simply amazing!

Made it twice already — huge hit.

Hubs loves this. I double the ingredients because we like to have lots of sauce. the only thing I do differently is add mushrooms.

Loved this recipe. I had never actually tried a pepper cream sauce but I am definately going to make this again. I followed another person's suggestion to deglaze the pan but without having brandy in the cupboard i used some red wine. I had to substitute the heavy cream with the small amount of half and half I had on hand and to have enough milk I then used some 2% evaporated milk. To thicken it I used a small amount if flour at the end. Perfect. I would have liked to follow the recipe the first time exactly as written but I was very pleased with the results. Thank you

Delicious and easy for an elegant meal.

I made this recipe twice, just to make sure I got it right. Both times, I dutifully followed the directions; and both times my wife and I were very disappointed. It had a weird flavor, which seemed to be related to a burnt woody flavor in conjunction with the pepper. I feel like we sacrificed four filets, two each time, attributable to this effort.

We followed the recipe as written, using a cast iron skillet. We had to cook the steaks a few minutes longer than the recipe indicates, but they turned out perfectly medium-rare, so just make sure to watch the thermometer instead of the time. Delicious!

Amazing! Thank you!

Easy and delicious. One caveat is about the peppercorns. The recipe calls bur 1/4 cup coarsely crushed peppercorns, but my family would have preferred less amount, but they eat them all! The sauce is out of this world! I will make it again but only using 1/8 cup of the peppercorns.