Hey! I'm Des!
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Filet Mignon with Peppercorn Sauce
This is one of those meals for a special occasion or even “date night” as I like to call it. It is a recreation of a dish that Ryan and I had in Italy. Remember when I shared my recipe for roasted rosemary potatoes and teased about melt in your mouth steaks? You know the one that you can cut with a butter knife? Yeah, this is one of them.
Before we went to Italy everyone would say “Oh imagine all of the yummy pasta and pizza you are going to eat. But do you think you’ll get sick of it after two weeks?” Well the truth is, its not all pizza and pasta in Italy. Sure the pasta and pizza that we had were absolutely divine, in most cases anyway, but there were also many other palate pleasing options. In Siena for instance, beef reigned supreme and we had ourselves plenty of perfectly cooked steaks. Nothing was over done, very simple seasonings and a simple sauce. Just how I like it.
The steak that we ordered in Italy was filet with 5 peppercorn sauce. Rather than buying 5 different kinds of peppercorns when I tried to recreate this dish, I found a peppercorn blend in the spice aisle at my local grocery store. It should be really easy to get your hands one. Mine even came with a nifty grinder attached. If you can’t find one at your local grocery store, I know that Williams-Sonoma also sells a lovely 5 pepper blend.
To have the same meal that Ryan and I enjoyed while we were in Italy serve these with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes and a simple salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Don’t forget the liter of wine. Yes, I said liter. We were on vacation and a liter of wine was less expensive than our steaks. So why not?
Looking for other steakhouse favorites? You’ve got to try these recipes!
Filet Mignon with Peppercorn Sauce Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 filet mignon steaks (about 1 1/2 - 2 inches thick)
- pepper and kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped shallot
- 1 tablespoon peppercorn blend
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon beef broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of filets with salt and pepper. Cook steaks 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. Transfer to plate, cover. Set aside.
Use a mortar and pestle to crack the peppercorns. If you don't have one you can place the peppercorns in a plastic bag then pound with the side of a meat mallet or bottom of a frying pan. You don't want them too small, just cracked.
In the same pan that you cooked the steak in add olive oil and shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add cracked peppercorns, cook 1 minute. Whisk in 1/2 cup beef broth. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in heavy cream. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes or until thickened. If it gets too thick add remaining tablespoon of beef broth.
Transfer steak to a serving platter. Spoon peppercorn sauce over the top. Serve immediately.
Notes
Enjoy!
Hey! I'm Des!
Welcome to Life’s Ambrosia where Dinner is served and memories are made. Here you will find over 1000 tried and true recipes for every possible occasion. In the last 10 years, this blog has helped millions of families put dinner on the table and create food memories. Let me help you too.
Have new recipes emailed to you.
James A
November 17, 2019 at 12:32 pmThank you so very much for this recipe! I have been looking for a gluten free recipe. I didn’t want to just remove cognac from another recipe as I was afraid it would knock the ratios of the other ingredients off balance.
Two weeks ago I used this recipe and my wife was able to have a wonderful peppercorn sauce for the first time in years after being diagnosed with gluten intolerance.
I’m making it again tonight! This is restaurant quality sauce right here.
Deseree
November 17, 2019 at 8:16 pmJames- That is SO wonderful to hear!! I am glad my recipe allowed your wife to enjoy a peppercorn sauce again :)
Adam
May 12, 2019 at 7:27 pmSauce was excellent!
Deseree
May 12, 2019 at 9:16 pmSo great to hear! Glad you enjoyed it!
Anais Minks
March 7, 2019 at 5:53 pmI saw a lot of other recipes that used brandy or cognac but I decided on this one because I didn’t have that on hand and it seemed much simpler. Now that I’ve made it, I’m going to remake it over and over again and not change a thing. It was so delicious, just absolutely scrumptious. I already make amazing, tender and juicy steaks but this sauce made my steak the best one I’ve ever had. I did add some mushrooms to the sauce for my husband but I left them off of my steak. He also thought it was amazing. Thanks for this simple but delicious recipe.
Dan
August 25, 2018 at 9:32 pmExcellent recipe that is better with beef bone broth!
Deseree
August 26, 2018 at 6:01 pmThank you Dan! I will have to try it with beef bone broth next time!
Jean
February 18, 2018 at 8:24 pmSurprisingly delicious. Ingredients on hand for an outstanding dish requiring little planning. Definitely a company dinner as well if we don’t wear it out enjoying it frequently. Make enough to top potatoes or whatever else you are serving.
Deseree
February 19, 2018 at 10:43 amI’m so happy to hear that Jean! :)
Dene'
May 19, 2013 at 5:23 pmJust tried it out, delicious! Thank you for posting this!
Kay
April 16, 2013 at 10:50 amThis sounds wonderful, and close to a recipe that we make, too. Ours also includes cognac in the sauce. I posted it on our blog at http://threeheadedchef.blogspot.com/2013/04/steaks-with-cognac-and-peppercorns.html if anyone’s interested.
Alfredo Maldonado Leon
February 4, 2013 at 1:43 amDelicius!!!!
Deseree
February 9, 2011 at 5:16 pmHi Bryan, you add the cream in step three after you add the beef broth. Hope this helps!
Bryan
February 9, 2011 at 5:07 pmwhat about the 1/3 cup of cream? It is not referrenced.
Andrea
October 20, 2009 at 3:50 pmThis looks delicious!!!
Safoora
October 20, 2009 at 12:46 amI just need clarification in regards to the beef broth..is it 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon? Thanks! :)
Deseree
October 20, 2009 at 7:53 amOops! Yes it’s 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon. I originally used 1/2 cup but then the sauce got a little thick on me while I was platting the rest of dinner so I thinned it out a bit with an extra tablespoon of beef broth.