This steak au poivre is a classic French dish that features perfectly seared New York strip steaks and a rich and flavorful cream sauce! It's an easy, yet elegant and impressive meal to make for a family dinner or any special occasion! The best part is that you will only need one pan to make it, and it will be ready to serve in under 30 minutes!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Beef Dishes, Entrees, Main Course, Main Dish
Take the NY strips out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before you start cooking and allow them to come to room temperature.
2 New York strip steaks
Place the butter and olive oil into a large cast-iron skillet (or a heavy-bottomed skillet) and heat them over medium-high heat.
2 tablespoon butter, ½ tablespoon olive oil
Use several paper towels to pat dry the strips, then season them with salt on each side. As the butter melts in your skillet, turn the burner up to high. Sear the strips for 1-4 minutes on each side(the cooking time will depend on how thickly sliced your NY strips are). As soon as the steaks are finished, move them to a dish or cutting board and cover them with a loose piece of foil.
1 teaspoon salt
After you take the steaks off, deglaze your skillet by pouring in the cognac (or brandy). Use a wooden spoon and scrape to remove the browned crispy bits from the bottom of the skillet. Tilt your skillet towards the gas burner (or you can use a long match or lighter) and ignite the cognac to burn everything off. *You can also turn up the heat to high and cook until the cognac has evaporated.
¼ cup cognac
Next, sautee the shallots over medium-high heat, then add in the Worcestershire sauce and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream and parsley. Stir mixture together.
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ⅓ cup heavy cream, 1 tablespoon parsley, ½ cup shallots
Place your strips back into the skillet with the sauce mixture and allow the strips to warm up again. *Alternatively you can cook the sauce for an additional 1-2 minutes and pour it over the steak.
Serve right away after garnishing with more parsley and freshly ground black pepper.
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Notes
If your NY strips are large in size, you might have to work in batches while you are searing the steaks. You never want to overcrowd your pan for the best cooking and flavor results.
Bringing your steaks to room temperature before you start cooking allows the steaks to cook evenly through. Chilled steaks will cause the muscle fibers in the steak to tense up as soon as it hits the heat, which results in unevenly cooked steak.
Season the strips right before you place them into the hot skillet. If you wait any longer than 3 minutes after you salt the steaks, your steak may dry out. In that case, wait at least 45 minutes before you cook so that the juices will return to the muscle fibers.
If you like some heat in your steak sauce you can add a few drops of your favorite sauce!
I recommend always using a digital kitchen thermometer to check the internal temperature of your meat. For a medium-rare steak, it should read 135°F (57°C), and for medium 145°F (62°C). For more information, read my beef internal temperaturesarticle.
To store: Place your leftover steak in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. Enjoy within a max of 5 days.
To reheat: Reheat your leftover strips in a pan on the stovetop over low to medium heat until they are warmed through to your liking.