ffwD: Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak

I have a confession to make: I was planning on skipping this week’s recipe. I’m somewhat skittish around steaks because of the whole “rare”-to-“well done” spectrum. It leaves too much room for error.

However, my sister (Codename: Gamer Psychologist) attended her last graduate school class on Tuesday, and I thought that accomplishment merited a celebration. Seeing as this recipe calls for Filet Mignon, it fit the bill perfectly. So, I rearranged my pre-planned meal and made this week’s ffwD recipe instead. Plus, Gamer Psychologist loves meat.And, yes, you’re reading that price tag correctly. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my mother here to buy the expensive ingredients like with Dorie’s scallops. But, I felt Gamer Psychologist had worked hard and earned the right to have the pricey stuff. Besides, just look how gorgeous these two filets looked raw:I knew they would look even more amazing once cooked!

The timing on how long to sear each side was really helpful. I did my best to find a coarse grind peppercorn mill, but the best I could do was a medium grind. And, I added just a touch of sea salt to each steak prior to cooking for more flavor.Cooking the steaks was pretty simple. I’m slightly embarrassed at how hesitant I was before.

I will say that the cooked filet looked so good that I almost didn’t want to put the brandy cream sauce over it. However, the brandy cream sauce was so tasty and was the perfect complement to the tender steak. I’m definitely going to make this sauce again for a splash of decadence in other dishes, like sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, or instead of gravy on mashed potatoes.The simplicity of this entire recipe makes it a keeper in my book! The ground peppercorns and sea salt were just enough to season the steaks without overpowering their naturally tender, buttery flavor. However, the cream sauce really pushes the steaks over the top!

By the way, I wanted to focus on making the steaks and sauce that I didn’t make the potato wedges myself. I cheated and bought pre-made potatoes.To see how other bloggers fared with the Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak, head over to French Fridays with Dorie. As usual, the recipe for this dish can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours.