Brandy Maple Pepper Steak Flambe
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns, freshly milled, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, freshly ground
- 1/2-1 teaspoons sea salt, to taste
- 8-10 ounces grassfed beef sirloin or mignon, divided into 2 portions, about an inch thick
- 2-3 tablespoons unsalted premium butter
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons white basalmic vinegar (cider or champagne vinegar will also do)
- 3 tablespoons brandy, warmed
- 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 ounces mushrooms, (porcini or other boletus mushrooms soaked in 2 tbl. white wine to reconstitute)
- 1 ounce fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, no stems
- paper thin slices of one half Meyer lemon, seeds removed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup, grade B
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
- Mix the peppercorns and fennel together in a shallow dish as long as your steaks. Pat the the steaks dry with paper towels. Press the steaks down in the pepper mix on both the top and bottom sides. Then let them rest for a few minutes. I don't like to add the salt yet because it draws out the juices, and the steaks need to be dry for searing.
- Heat the butter in a heavy bottom saute pan. Sear the steaks over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes per side (or 5-6 minutes if you like your steak medium well done). Reduce the heat to low. Season with the salt. Splash in the wine and vinegar; cook for another minute or so.
- Warm the brandy slightly by placing in a small cup immersed in hot water. Pour the warmed brandy over the steaks. Leaning away from the pan (with all other combustibles cleared well away from your stove), flambe with a long kitchen or fireplace match. When the flames burn off, add the shallot slices, wine-soaked mushrooms (I include the wine, too), fennel, thyme leaves, and lemon slices. Pour the cream into the pan and stir, cooking for about a minute. You may want to check to see that your steaks are cooked to your desired degree of doneness with a discreet tiny cut to the middle, but take care not to let any inner juices escape. When perfectly browned on the outside and still pink in the middle, remove the steaks to a platter to let them rest.
- Stir in the maple syrup to the pan to finish cooking the sauce. Cook for 1 minute. To serve, spoon the sauce with shallots, mushrooms, fennel, and lemons over the steaks. Garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes or grits.
black peppercorns, fennel, salt, beef sirloin, butter, white wine, white basalmic vinegar, brandy, shallot, mushrooms, fennel bulb, thyme, lemon, heavy cream, maple syrup, flat leaf parsley
Taken from food52.com/recipes/10583-brandy-maple-pepper-steak-flambe (may not work)