Try this easy-to-make French-bistro classic for a quick dinner party
Try this easy-to-make French-bistro classic for a quick next dinner party
As we near the end of January, memories of all that holiday entertaining have begun to fade, and many people begin to think about throwing dinner parties again.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years about the way people entertain at home is that they mistakenly think they have to go all out, preparing labor-intensive, multistep dishes to impress their guests. But all too often, such an approach can leave feelings of exhaustion rather than the satisfaction that should be felt for an event well-thrown.
I find, instead, that some of the best dinner parties can feature dishes that are quick and simple to cook, yet deliver impressive results. As I show home cooks with lesson after lesson in my new online cooking school, Wolfgang-Puck
CookingSchool.com, it is possible to enjoy great cooking made easy at home by following just a few simple secrets that I share. (You can sample them free at home yourself for 14 days risk-free by visiting my cooking-school site.)
A great example of that principle is my recipe for pan-seared beef fillets au poivre with red wine sauce. It produces the kind of wow-inducing results you might experience yourself if you were served such a dish in a fine French bistro. Yet the recipe takes just minutes to prepare, and it is prepared with commonly found ingredients and everyday kitchen equipment.
Pan-searing on top of the stove is one of my favorite ways to cook a delicious steak quickly. As you’ll see, all you have to do is add a crust of cracked peppercorns — achieving what the French call a “steak au poivre” — then complete an easy pan sauce with red wine, raisins and a touch of cream.
The easy-to-master technique of deglazing (which I also demonstrate in a how-to video on my site) helps to capture all the flavor of the seared beef ’s pan deposits to create a perfectly delicious sauce, and a little cream adds an extra touch of elegance.
To soak up every last drop of the sauce, I like to serve a rice pilaf, or maybe some mashed potatoes, alongside the steaks. To drink, pour a variety of red wine similar to the one you used for the sauce.
Add a simple appetizer to start, such as a salad of mixed baby greens and other farmers-market vegetables, and a light fruit dessert to end the meal, and you have a dinner party that is almost effortless.
PANSEARED BEEF FILLETS AU POIVRE
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup dry red wine 1/4 cup seedless golden or brown raisins 1/4 cup whole black peppercorns 1/4 cup whole white peppercorns 4 beef tenderloin steaks, each 5 to 6 ounces
and about 1 1/4 inches thick Kosher salt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed 2 tablespoons bottled barbecue sauce Organic, low-sodium chicken broth or beef
broth (if needed)
Directions:
In a small heavy saucepan, bring the wine and raisins to a boil over high heat. Boil until the raisins have softened and flavored the wine, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside.
On a small rimmed baking sheet, combine the black and white peppercorns. With the bottom of a small heavy skillet or saucepan, press down firmly all over the peppercorns, coarsely cracking them.
Season all the steaks on both sides with kosher salt. Then press about 3/4 teaspoon of the cracked peppercorns evenly into the surface on each side. Reserve any extra peppercorns for another use.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the oil. Heat until very hot and just beginning to smoke. Cook the steaks until seared darkbrown, 4 to 5 minutes per side for rare to medium-rare. Transfer to a plate.
Pour off the fat from the pan. Add the wine and raisins, cream and barbecue sauce, stirring and scraping over high heat to deglaze the pan deposits. Cook until the sauce reaches coating consistency, 1 to 2 minutes, seasoning to taste with salt and adding more cream or a little broth to adjust the consistency.
On a cutting board, carve each steak across the grain into slices, fanning out the slices on each plate. Spoon the sauce around the meat. Serve immediately.