I knew I wanted to start with something serious for my first AB and Me recipe. I went straight to steak – good steak. This recipe for Steak au Poivre came from the Good Eats episode “Tender is the Loin – I”. I found the details and recipe on the food network site.
The Program
4 ea Tenderloin Steaks, 6 to 8 oz <1 1/2" thick
2 tablespoons Peppercorns
1 tablespoon Unsalted butter
1 teaspoon Olive oil
⅓ cup Cognac, plus 1 teaspoon
1 cup Heavy Cream
The Prep
I had, in the freezer, two 1-pound hunks of beef tenderloin around 2 inches thick. Those will be perfect. Scanning the ingredient list the only other thing I didn’t have was cognac. I know, I know – I don’t want to hear it. I’m a whiskey drinker. Anyway, knowing that Indiana has absolutely ridiculous laws concerning liquor sales, I went and got a hip-pocket sized bottle of Courvoisier last evening since I wouldn’t be able to today. Other than moving the steaks to the fridge to thaw yesterday morning, that was the only prep needed.
The Process
I’m going to cut straight to chase on this one…. FIRE! Yup, you add the cognac to the pan after removing the steak to rest and light the fumes. This was my first kitchen fire and luckily, it was intentional. It did, however, scare the dog a bit 
I’m not sure if the flame made it all the way to the ceiling or not, but since I had a couple of seconds of trouble lighting the firestick, I definitely got a fireball. Next time, I’ll have Lori ready with the camera!!
The Payoff
mmmmm Steak & Potatoes
The picture was taken before putting the final layer of sauce on every thing. Sorry I didn’t take a “final – final”… I’ll learn
So, the results were very positive. Not quite the best steak I’ve ever had, but putting alcohol and cream on a really good steak certainly put it up there. Final score:
