Delia Smith Peppercorn Sauce Recipes

PEPPERCORN SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the butter in a large, high-sided frying pan, then fry the shallots and peppercorns over a medium heat for 5 mins, until the shallots have softened but not browned. Add the brandy and cook until it has reduced away to almost nothing.
• Pour the wine into the pan, turn up the heat and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce again, this time by two-thirds, this will take around 5 mins. Stir the cream into the sauce and allow it to thicken slightly. Check the sauce is seasoned to your liking before serving with steak.

BRAISED STEAK AU POIVRE IN RED WINE

Steps:

• Begin by crushing the peppercorns coarsely with a pestle and mortar, then mix them together with the flour on a plate. Now dip the pieces of meat into this mixture, pressing it well in on all sides. Next, heat 2 tablespoons of the dripping or oil in the casserole, and when it is really hot and beginning to shimmer, quickly brown the pieces of meat, about 4 at a time, on both sides, then transfer them to a plate. After that, add the remaining dripping or oil to the pan and brown the onions for 3-4 minutes, still keeping the heat high. Then add the crushed garlic and cook for another minute. Now add any remaining flour and pepper left on the plate to the pan, stirring well to soak up the juices, then add the wine a little at a time, continuing to stir to prevent any lumps forming, and scraping in any crusty residue from the bottom and edge of the pan. When it's at simmering point, add the meat to the sauce, season it with salt, then pop in the bay leaves and thyme. Bring it back to a simmer, then put a lid on the casserole and transfer it to the middle shelf of the oven to cook for 2 hours or until the meat is tender. When you're ready to serve, remove the herbs, add the crème fraîche, stir it in well, then taste to check for seasoning before serving.

BRAISED STEAK AU POIVRE

Steps:

• First heat the oil in the casserole and fry the onion in it for 5 minutes. While that's happening, prepare the meat: crush the peppercorns with a pestle and mortar (or with the back of a tablespoon on a flat surface) - they need to be coarsely crushed. Next, mix the crushed peppercorns with the flour on a flat plate and spread the mixture out evenly. Press the meat on to the mixture to get the underside well coated, then turn it over and do the same with the other side, pressing and patting the flour and pepper firmly into the meat. Now remove the onion to a small plate, turn the heat right up and when it's really hot, quickly brown the meat on both sides, scraping any flour-and-pepper from the plate into the casserole as well. Then turn the heat down, return the onion together with the garlic and some salt, pour in the wine, then put the lid on and let it simmer - as gently as possible - for 1¼ to 1½ hours, depending on the thickness of the steak. When it's ready, remove the lid, turn the heat right up and let the sauce bubble and reduce to a more syrupy consistency (about 1-2 minutes). Then stir in the cream till it's thoroughly blended - and that's it. Lovely with creamy mashed potatoes - see our Cookery School Video for Perfect Mashed Potatoes on this page.

DELIA'S BREAD SAUCE

Steps:

• Method Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it - how many you use is a personal matter; I happen to like a pronounced flavour of clove. If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead. Place the onion - studded with cloves - plus the bay leaf and the peppercorns, in a saucepan together with the milk. Add some salt then bring everything up to boiling point. Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for two hours or more. When you're ready to make the sauce, remove the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns and keep them on one side. Stir the breadcrumbs into the milk and add 1 oz (25 g) of the butter. Leave the saucepan on a very low heat, stirring now and then, until the crumbs have swollen and thickened the sauce - about 15 minutes. Now replace the clove-studded onion, the bay leaf and the peppercorns and again leave the pan in a warm place until the sauce is needed. Just before serving, remove the onion and spices. Reheat gently then beat in the remaining butter and the cream and taste to check the seasoning. Pour into a warm serving jug.

FILLET OF BEEF WITH MIXED PEPPERCORN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a frying pan over a medium-to-high heat, then pour in the oil and the clarified butter. Season the steaks with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and cook to your liking (2 mins each side for medium-rare, 3 mins each side for medium, depending on the thickness of your steaks). Be sure to seal the rounded edges, too. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the knob of butter to the pan, then fry the shallots, mushrooms and peppercorns over a medium heat for 5 mins, until the shallots have softened and the mushrooms browned. Return the steaks to the pan. Heat the brandy in a metal ladle, light with a match then carefully pour into the hot pan, standing as far back as you can. Once the pan has stopped flaming, remove the steaks again.
• Pour the wine into the pan, turn up the heat and boil rapidly until reduced by half. This will take about 5 mins. Add the stock and reduce again, this time by two-thirds. Stir the cream in to the sauce and allow it to thicken slightly. Check the sauce for seasoning, then return the fillets to the pan to warm through, spooning the sauce over. Serve straight away.