Double beef steak with cognac pepper sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 steak(s), approx. 400 – 600 g, fillet or rump, from beef
• 1 tbsp pepper, green, pickled
• 4 tbsp cognac (about a good shot)
• 250 ml Cremefine, or 250 ml sweet cream
• 2 tbsp crème fraîche, or equivalent vegetable cream (I prefer this)
• 250 ml vegetable broth, strong (from an instant product)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp mustard, grainy
• 1 tbsp, leveled sugar (possibly up to 3)
• Salt
• n. B. Black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 1 sprig(s) of thyme
• 1 tbsp oil, for frying
• 1 tsp herb butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Rest time approx. 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

like Chateaubriand, of course you can use fillet, a decent rump steak with double thickness works just as well

The meat should be hung. If it isn’t, place it in oil in a de-aired freezer bag for 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator about 2 hours before cooking on the day of preparation. Preheat oven to 150°C. Heat a heavy pan thoroughly, then add the oil and when it’s very hot, add the meat. Add the garlic and herb sprigs as well. After about 3 minutes, carefully check whether it loosens from the bottom of the pan. If so, turn it over. If not, wait a little longer. It should loosen completely on its own. After turning it over, reduce the heat to medium and cook until it loosens on that side too. Then season well with pepper and wrap in aluminum foil (including the herbs, garlic, and herb butter), and place in the oven. If you want to be sure, insert a meat thermometer. I do it by feel. About 20 minutes, and then I check how far it’s gone. If you like it rare (saignant), you should take it out when it is still soft when pressed. If you like it medium, you should take it out when you feel a slight resistance. At around 20 minutes, it is always somewhere between saignant and medium. Important: After taking it out of the pan, let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into it. This way you have plenty of time for the sauce. While the meat is cooking in the oven, brown the sugar, mustard, green pepper, and tomato paste in a pan. Set the stock aside to deglaze the pan. When it starts to brown, first deglaze with the cognac, reduce the heat, then add the vegetable stock and reduce by about 1/3. Now stir in the cream and crème fraîche and bring back to the boil. Season to taste with pepper and salt, and if necessary, add a few more drops of cognac. Remove the meat from the oven, stir any liquid collected in the foil into the sauce, discard the herbs and garlic, and season the meat with salt. Then slice it crosswise into thin slices. Arrange these slices on a plate of sauce. Serve the remaining sauce separately. This goes well with croquettes, wide pasta, or dumplings, along with a green salad.