Result: really damn good
I don't cook steaks too often. I guess it's because steak dinners tend to feel pretty heavy to me, and a good cut of beef can get pricey. But last week, I did some mid-week grocery shopping and saw some good NY Strip steaks at a good price. It inspired me to try out a Steak au Poivre recipe I haven't tried for a year or 2.
The last time I tried this recipe, I really didn't like the sauce. I didn't have a taste for cognac yet, and all that cream diluted the sauce so much that it was almost flavorless. This time around I substituted the cognac for Kentucky bourbon, I reduced the amount of cream, and I threw in some mushrooms and rosemary for a deeper, more earthy flavor.
One big thing to keep in mind when cooking with alcohol (whether it's wine, whisky, etc), use a bottle that you would enjoy as a normal drink. If you're making Chicken Marsala, use real Marsala wine; if you're making Boeuf Bourguignon, use real Burgundy. Don't be a cheap-ass and use supermarket cooking wine, it's loaded with salt and just tastes bad. For this recipe, I bought a small (200mL), inexpensive bottle of Bulleit Bourbon. My bourbon-snob friend and even the owners my neighborhood liquor store give Bulleit rave reviews.
The end result was seriously good. I think I'll be experimenting with beef more often. You can find the recipe after the jump. Try it out and make it your own. Experiment with the bourbon:cream ratio , maybe even try some butter instead of oil. And do leave a comment to let me know how it works out for you.
