For Valentine’s Day, Jon and I worked as a team to craft a scrumptious, mouth-watering, romantic meal for two (but you can make this for just yourself or for just any romantic night-in!)
Hello everyone! Valentine’s Day can be extremely stressful even for couples because of all of the societal expectations and the craziness of trying to find a reservation for a nice meal. This year, I thought this decadent and comforting meal would be perfect for a recipe that involves both teamwork and patience! Steak au Poivre is a fillet or tenderloin encrusted with black peppercorn and sea salt, simmered in a sweet and savory, cognac and wine cream sauce and typically served on a bed of whipped mashed potatoes.
This recipe isn’t for the faint of heart, but once you’ve mastered it, it will become a staple recipe for special occasions to come. Take your time with it, pour yourself and your partner a glass of wine, put on some Bossa Nova or some sexy cooking music and enjoy!
Steak au Poivre
Yields: 2 Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes
I N G R E D I E N T S
8 oz tenderloin or fillet mignon
Black whole black peppercorn
1 Shallot
1/8 tsp Beef bouillon or demi-glace (preferred)
1/3 cup of whipping cream
1/3 cup of cognac (1 shooter of Hennessey)
¼ of red wine
Coarse Sea Salt
Butter
Avocado Oil
Fresh Tarragon (optional for garnish)
**Grill lighter to cook off cognac
First, prep the ingredients:
Finely chop the shallots, crush the peppercorns, and trim any fat off of the meat, half the steaks for two.
Next, heat a saucepan with avocado and butter and sautee the shallots while dipping both ends of the steaks in the crushed peppercorn and cook the steaks 4 mins each side. Try not to burn the shallots as they are delicate and will turn brown (removing them and then re-incorporating them later is always an option—this will also help the steaks get a nice sear).
Remove the steaks from the pan and let rest while you make the cream sauce.
Maintaining the same heat, add your red wine, your demi-glace or bouillon, heavy cream, and reduce. Add the cognac and while the sauce reduces and making sure anything flammable is out of the way, light the cognac in the pan. This should be a blue flame and go out once the alcohol is burned off. This part was a little nerve-racking but you cannot skip this step to achieve this scrumptious sauce!
Put the steak back into the sauce and flip so both sides are coated in the sauce. You will know the sauce is done if it can coat the back of a spoon and you can draw a line across.
Plate the steaks on a bed of mashed potatoes and crisscrossed asparagus and drizzle the cream sauce atop. (We put the asparagus on top and thought it would be better underneath the meat).
Serve with a spicy Syrah or Shiraz or your favorite beverage! Try not to lick the plate
Creamy Garlic (Vegan!) Mashed Potatoes
Yields: 2 | Prep time: 10 mins. | Cook time: 30 mins.
I N G R E D I E N T S
4 peeled and quartered russet potatoes
½ tsp of salt (to taste)
1 tsp of pepper (to taste)
2tbsp of Myokos Non-Dairy Butter
1 tbs of minced garlic (2 cloves)
½ cup of Ripple ½ & ½
½ cup of soymilk (almond milk does not have enough fat)
D I R E C T I O N S
Fill a standard dutch oven or short stockpot with hot water 2/3rds of the way, lightly salt and boil quartered potatoes until fork-tender. (If you can use an Instapot that would be faster).
While boiling, combine, non-dairy ½ and ½, soymilk, butter and garlic in a small saucepot with salt and pepper and cook down until condensed.
Drain the potatoes into a colander and place them in an electric mixer with non-dairy mixture. Beat on medium-high until creamy!
Transfer potatoes into another bowl and container, clean your mixing bowl and freeze for the whipped cream!
Grilled Asparagus
Yields: 2 | Prep time: 10 mins. | Cook time: 15 mins. start to finish
I N G R E D I E N T S
High-heat oil
Salt and pepper to taste
D I R E C T I O N S
Clean, trim and blanch (boil and ice bath) asparagus (this halts the cooking process internally and retains a nice texture and crunch)
Heat a grill pan on medium-high heat with avocado oil and lay asparagus perpendicular to the grates.
Drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper and cook until they have some color and are roasted to your liking.
Click here for the tangy and sweet Triple Berry Tart and Fresh Whipped Cream recipe!