Sauce au poivre is an old school French sauce mostly served with beef, although I have used it for many meats and even fish. Here’s how to make this quick and easy pan sauce. 

Steak au poivre is the most common way to serve the sauce, which relies on peppercorns. It’s also known as pepper steak, although the English moniker lends itself to confusion because there’s a Chinese takeout dish also called pepper steak. This is not that dish. This is the French classic, a recipe memorized by countless culinary students and immortalized by Saint Julia.

Sauce au poivre should be part of your repertoire, too. Why? Because it’s fast, easy and good — and because it works with pretty much any meat. I’ve even made dove au poivre.

Meat for Sauce au Poivre

I’ve eaten steak au poivre with beef, lamb, bison, elk, antelope, dove, deer, duck, goose — it’s even good with pheasant, tuna and swordfish, too. And for a vegetarian option, I’ve made sauce au poivre to serve with morel mushrooms, and shiitakes would be just as good. 

The reason this sauce is so versatile is the alchemy of butter, peppercorns, a rich stock, brandy and cream. These are many of the greatest things in life, so it’s easy to see why this is such a good sauce.

For the pictures, I decided to use dry-aged nilgai backstrap. Yeah, it was crazy good. Nilgai are an Indian antelope imported to Texas a century ago, and they now run wild throughout south Texas. But remember that virtually anything works with sauce au poivre – pan-seared venison tenderloin would be another excellent choice.

How to Make the Sauce

Sauce au poivre is a pan sauce, meaning its made in the pan you used to cook the meat in, in the time it takes to rest your meat. Done right, it comes together in 10 to 15 minutes, sometimes less. 

Meat comes off the pan, add shallots. Cook these until wilted and slightly browned. Deglaze the pan with alcohol.

Cognac is traditional, but any brandy will do. No brandy? Sauce au poivre is great with sherry, Madeira or Marsala, too. Bourbon works in a pinch. Can’t use alcohol? Use more glace de viande. 

Wha? Glace de viande is concentrated, jellied stock. It’s like adding 2 cups of stock and letting it boil down, only this won’t get too salty. The link above is how to make it. You can also buy it, or its cousin demi-glace (it’s sold shelf stable). You can also use low sodium beef stock, but be careful to not let your sauce au poivre get overly salty. 

Peppercorns for Sauce au Poivre

Just like in other super simple dishes that rely on pepper, like cacio e pepe, your pepper matters in sauce au poivre. A lot. Do not make this sauce if all you have is pre-ground black pepper. It will be, well, underwhelming. At the very least grind your own, coarsely. 

I use special tellicherry black pepper for this sauce because I really want to taste it. I will also use pickled green peppercorns, which are sold in little jars in most supermarkets, next to the capers. You can eat these, and they are delicious in moderation: Peppery pop rocks! 

I’ve seen some renditions of sauce au poivre using pink peppercorns, and that’s cool if it floats your boat, but it is not traditional.

You finish the sauce with heavy cream and a knob or two of butter to tie it all together. 

Other Classic Sauces

Sauce au poivre, along with steak Diane, are the two Date Night dishes every young person should have up his or her sleeve. Why? They’re French classics, elegant, yet easy and fast.

Other classics any good cook, and especially one who hunts, should know include:

• Cumberland sauce, an old English sauce that hinges on red currants.
• Parsley sauce, another English favorite that is best with white meats. Its cousin is French sorrel sauce. 
• A gin and juniper sauce that works well with venison.
• Mushroom sauce for steak. This is another classic French sauce specifically meant for red meat. 

What to Serve Alongside

Serve it with something green — I love the winter salad that goes with this partridge recipe — and a starch of some sort. Bread or potatoes would be my choice. If you are avoiding starch, you can roast some mushrooms.

Red wine is a must. I’d suggest a Cotes du Rhone blend, or, if you are feeling fancy, a Bordeaux.