Fillet Steak in a Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

This is a very firm favourite with our guests. You need a good chunk of fillet steak and don’t skimp on the seasoning!

Ingredients

• 2 Fillet Steaks (around 150g each)
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
• 25g of Butter
• A knob Butter
• 2 Large Shallots
• 6 Medium Mushrooms
• 2 Teaspoons Mixed Peppercorns
• 3 Tablespoons Brandy
• 100ml Red Wine
• 200ml Beef Stock (a stock cube is fine)
• 3 Tablespoons Double Cream
• Chips and / or your choice of vegetables.

Preparation

1. Let your steak come up to room temperature.
2. Chop the shallots finely. If you don’t have shallots a small onion will do.
3. Clean the mushrooms with kitchen towel and slice them thinly (no need to remove the stems).
4. Crush the peppercorns. If you don’t have mixed peppercorns you can use black and if you don’t have them then a tablespoon of ground black pepper is fine.
5. Make your beef stock.
6. Cook your vegetables and/or chips.

Method

1. Heat a dry frying pan over a medium to high heat for a couple of minutes.
2. Whilst the pan is warming up season your steaks with salt and plenty of the fresh ground pepper.
3. Carefully pour the oil into the pan and add 25g of butter and when the butter melts stir it in with the oil. Pan fry your steaks for two minutes on each side and then roll them around to seal their ends. When they look brown take them out and put them onto a plate loosely covered in foil.
4. Add the other knob of butter to the pan and then add the chopped shallots (or onion if using), the sliced mushrooms, and the crushed peppercorns.
5. Turn the heat down to medium and fry for around 5 minutes until the onions are slightly brown and the mushrooms feel soft.
6. Put the steaks back in the pan – don’t throw the foil away and leave any juices/blood on the plate.
7. REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE HEAT. VERY CAREFULLY pour the brandy into the pan and put the pan back on the heat.Using a long cooks match light the brandy and jiggle the pan slightly until the flames subside.
8. Remove the steaks and put them back onto the plate and recover loosely with the foil.
9. Pour the red wine into the pan and turn the heat up full until about half the wine has boiled away.
10. Add the beef stock and keep boiling until around half has boiled away.
11. Turn the heat down to medium and pour the cream in.
12. Keep stirring until it is a nice creamy colour and thickens slightly (don’t let it boil!)
13. Put the steaks back in the pan and tip any juices and blood from the plate in with the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the fillets.
14. Nuke your veg / chips to warm them up a bit.
15. Serve the steaks on a warm plate with plenty of sauce spooned over the top and your chips and veg on the side.