Thursday, April 28, 2011

FFWD: Bistrot Paul Bert Pepper Steak


This pepper steak was delicious. I'm a big pepper fan and I can still remember the first time I used freshly ground pepper to cook with. I was in my first apartment and cooking for myself. I had bought my very own salt and pepper set and I could not get over how aromatic that pepper was. I had no idea it could smell so fragrant or that it could be spicy. The powder in the spice rack I was used to was nothing like this.



In the tradition of buying myself new toys to put in my kitchen, I got a mortar and pestle to grind spices with. I have a coffee grinder dedicated to spice grinding, but by pounding the pepper out by hand, I was able to get a very coarse texture. That would have been hard to do with a grinder.


I've never been a filet mignon kind of girl. I prefer a rib-eye or a strip steak, like what you see here. There's so much flavor in these cuts and you get more meat for your money. These steaks cooked up beautifully and were a great weeknight meal.


For my side dish, I made Dorie's pancetta green beans, a recipe I skipped out on earlier in the groups' rotation. They were delicious and a nice accent to the meal. This was my first time cooking with brandy. I was nervous about flaming the alcohol, since I have wooden cupboards above my stove. Instead, I simmered the brandy to burn off the alcohol and proceeded with the recipe. It was the easiest, most delicious sauce. My husband especially likes the combination of a creamy sauce with a peppery kick. The sauce was creamy, but not too heavy and the meal overall was something very special.


Check out the other meals the bloggers made this week over at French Fridays with Dorie and stop by next week to see what's cooking from Dorie's book, Around My French Table.




15 comments:

  1. Christina, good on you for buying a mortar and pestle! I agree, they grind the peppercorns so much coarser which is great for this recipe. Your steaks and green beans look great!

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  2. Your meal looks perfect...even better that the picture in the book. Nice work.

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  3. Beautiful! Even though I just had this FFwD meal a couple of hours ago, your photos make me want to have more steak ;-)

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  4. The green beans have been one of my favorite recipes so far, I wish I had tried that combo - next time!

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  5. I really like the look of your coarsely ground peppercorn. And you steaks look so tasty!

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  6. Mmm, your steak looks fantastic! I agree about the coarser texture - it was definitely what made these steaks and that couldn't have been done with a grinder.

    I wish I'd thought to do the green beans as a side dish!

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  7. It took me soooo long to break down and by a mortor and pestle but so glad I did. What a great shot of that steak sitting in the sauce. Yum!

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  8. I agree - there is something about the coarser texture in certain dishes that can't be beat. Looks lovely.

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  9. I would have definitely chosen not to light up the brandy with cupboards right above the stove. Your meal looks beautiful, and we know how tasty it turned out.

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  10. Wish I had thought of the pancetta beans - they must have been just perfect. Like your steak :) The photos look gorgeous. We were pleased and while Nana took a week off, she heard such raves from my guys that she is definitely going to try it. And congrats on the mortar/pestle acquisition - I love to do that kind of treat as well !

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  11. I used a mortar and pestle too. It crushed the peppercorns perfectly! Pancetta green beans sounds like the perfect green side. Nice meal!

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  12. Everything looks great and I like your pancetta beans, I wish I would have thought of trying them, oh well next time;-)

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  13. I really like a rib eye too. Nice pictures,

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  14. Love your pancetta beans…so colorful next to that beautiful steak!! I share that tradition of buying new kitchen toys!! Fun!

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  15. What lovely photos! The pancetta beans are a nice complement.

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