Peppercorn Sauce Recipe

Peppercorn Sauce Recipe

We're making a delicious Peppercorn Sauce for steak tonight, my friends. Would you care for some?

Peppercorn sauce is a classic sauce popularly served on steak. It is made with lots of pungent peppercorns, cream, and brandy or cognac.

It is creamy and rich from the heavy cream, though the key flavor here is the use of peppercorns, which offer a pungent, peppery, vibrant, and slightly spicy flavor to your steak.

It's a versatile sauce as well, not only for steak, but great for adding rich, robust flavor to other meats, vegetables, and more.

Let's talk about how to make peppercorn sauce, shall we?

Peppercorn Sauce Ingredients

The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

• Whole Peppercorns. Black peppercorns are more pungent and robust in flavor. Green peppercorns are milder and offer citrusy, herbaceous notes. White peppercorns are the mildest and much less intense.
• Butter.
• Vegetable Oil. Or use the drippings from your pan-seared steak.
• Shallot.
• Brandy or Cognac. Use extra beef stock as a non-alcoholic substitute.
• Beef Stock.
• Heavy Cream.

How to Make Peppercorn Sauce - the Recipe Method

Crush the peppercorns into coarse grains. I like to use my molcajete, but any mortar and pestle will do, or you can use a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy bottle or pan.

You want coarsely crushed grains, not ground pepper, as you'll want a bit of texture to the sauce. Crushed whole black peppercorns add lots of robust flavor.

Then, heat the butter and oil in a pan over medium-high heat. If you're using the pan drippings from a seared steak, skip the oil and just melt the butter.

Cook the shallot, then add the brandy or cognac and crushed peppercorns. Cook a couple minutes to reduce, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan if you just seared steaks.

There is some great flavor in there!

Add the beef broth stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer to reduce the liquid by half.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the heavy cream. Simmer until it thickens to your desired consistency, just a few minutes.

Boom! Done! Your hot peppercorn sauce is ready to serve. Easy enough to make, isn't it? Spoon this over your steak and you're in heaven. I hope you love it!

Storage & Leftovers

You can make peppercorn steak sauce ahead or store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can reheat it gently in a pan with a bit of water or stock added in to enjoy again.

However, the sauce can separate while storing it. Peppercorn sauce is best when it's freshly made.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this creamy peppercorn sauce recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

• Cowboy Butter
• Tartar Sauce
• Alabama White BBQ Sauce
• Horseradish Sauce
• Chipotle Sauce

FAQs

Can I make peppercorn sauce without brandy?

Absolutely! If you'd rather skip the alcohol, swap in an equal amount of extra beef stock. You'll lose a little of that deep, complex flavor that brandy brings, but the sauce is still rich and delicious. A small splash of Worcestershire sauce can also help add some of that savory depth back in.

How do I thicken peppercorn sauce?

The key is giving it enough time to reduce. After you add the heavy cream, keep the heat at medium-low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally. It should thicken up nicely within 3-4 minutes. If it's still too thin, just keep simmering a bit longer. The sauce will also thicken slightly as it cools, so don't over-reduce it on the stove or you'll end up with something too heavy to spoon over your steak.