Peppercorn Sauce for Steak

My rich and flavorful Peppercorn Sauce Recipe is so easy, you'll want to serve it on everything! It's the perfect blend of flavors!

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword black peppercorn sauce, pepper sauce, peppercorn sauce, peppercorn sauce recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 10

Total Time 12

Servings

Calories 198kcal

Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, or in a plastic bag with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
2 Tablespoons Mixed peppercorns
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced shallot, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
4 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Shallot
Add in the crushed peppercorns, beef stock, and brandy. Bring to a low boil and simmer until brandy is reduced, about 5 minutes.
¼ cup Brandy, 1 cup Beef stock
Reduce the heat to low, and very slowly stir in the heavy cream. Make sure to do this step low and slow, stirring constantly so the cream doesn't curdle.
¼ cup Heavy cream
Season with salt and add parsley for garnish.
Salt, Parsley
Serve over your favorite beef dish!

Make sure to nicely crush the peppercorns first! Nobody likes biting into an unexpected whole peppercorn.

Be sure to add the cream very slowly and stir constantly. This is the only way to keep the cream from curdling.

But if the cream curdles, don't worry! While it won't have as nicely smooth of a texture, it will still be tasty and safe to eat.

While this sauce will simmer, the alcohol does not boil off. Keep this in mind when serving this black pepper sauce!

If you can, use mixed peppercorns- or try long pepper, if you can find it! The flavor of mixed peppers or long pepper will be fuller and more complex than just one kind.

Peppercorns: You can use all of one color of peppercorn, too. I especially like the flavor of black and green peppercorn sauce. Don't use ground pepper, as it's ground too finely and won't have the same texture or depth of flavor.

Brandy: For an alcoholic substitute, try bourbon whiskey or white wine. If you want to completely avoid alcohol in this sauce, substitute it for the same amount of apple, white grape, peach, or cherry juice.

Heavy cream: If you're making this sauce dairy-free, you can swap the heavy cream out for full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream.

Shallot: In a pinch, replace the shallot with very thinly sliced sweet or yellow onion.

Beef stock: I prefer beef stock or beef broth as I tend to serve this dish with steak! However, you can also use chicken stock and it will still be delicious.