Sirloin Steak With Peppercorn Sauce
A thick cut sirloin steak, pan fried to perfection & served with a creamy, homemade peppercorn sauce. This serves two so is perfect for sharing!
Servings: 2 Portions
Equipment
- Large Frying Pan
- Digital Food Probe
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz Sirloin Steak
- 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Peppercorn Sauce
- 2 tsp Green Peppercorns Drained
- 50 ml Brandy
- 250 ml Beef Stock
- 100 ml Double Cream
Instructions
Pan Fried Steak
- Take your steak out of the fridge half an hour before cooking.
- Use a piece of kitchen paper to pat the steak dry then season both sides with a generous amount of table salt.
- Next, place a large frying pan over a high heat then add in the veg oil & leave to get smoking hot.
- Add in your steak, pressing down firmly to ensure good contact between the meat & pan (a pair of tongs or a spatula works best!) then cook for 3-4 minutes, until well seared.
- Flip the steak over, pressing down like before then cook for another 3-4 minutes, until the steak reaches an internal temperature of 52°c/125°f.The steak's internal temperature will rise by a couple of degrees as it rest, bringing it to the perfect medium rare (54°c/130°f). Take a look at the notes section, for other cooking methods/doneness.
- Pick the steak up with a pair of tongs then place it fat side down & cook for a minute or so, until the fat is rendered & crisp.
- Transfer the steak to a plate & leave to rest, lightly covered in foil whilst we make the sauce.
Green Peppercorn Sauce
- Tip almost all of the fat out of the pan you cooked the steak in then place the pan back over a medium heat.
- Add in the green peppercorns, fry for 30 seconds then deglaze the pan with the brandy.
- Let the brandy reduce almost completely then add in the beef stock & bring to the boil. Reduce by half then stir in the cream.
- Continue cooking the sauce for another minute, until thickened slightly then stir in a small knob of butter & a few cracks of black pepper.
To Serve
- Cut the rested sirloin into slices then season with sea salt & black pepper. Transfer to plates then spoon over the peppercorn sauce & serve immediately.
Notes
1. Cooking On An Aga - Cook both the steak & peppercorn sauce on the boiling plate.
2. Brandy - If you'd prefer to make the peppercorn sauce without alcohol, you can use extra beef stock instead.
3. Steak - A good quality steak makes all the difference in this recipe. I'd recommend taking a trip to your local butchers! Make sure that your steak is an even thickness all over (around an inch). If any thick parts need thinning out, this can be done with a meat tenderising hammer or a rolling pin.
4. Peppercorns - If you haven't got any green peppercorns, you can use crushed black peppercorns instead. I'd use half the amount, to start then add in more as needed. Make sure to add them in with the cream, instead of at the beginning.
5. Beef Stock - For the peppercorn sauce, you can use homemade or shop bought beef stock or half a stock cube dissolved in boiling water. I used a knorr stock pot for my sauce. Be careful not to add too much salt into the finished sauce (if any!) as the stock will probably provide enough seasoning.
6. Steak Doneness - I'd recommend cooking sirloin steaks to medium rare. We're aiming for a final internal temperature of 54°c/130°f, which means we need to stop cooking the steak when it hits 52°c/125°f, as the temperature will rise as the steak rests.
If you'd prefer your steak cooked more, you can give it 3-4 minutes in a 200°c/392°f oven after searing well on each side. If you'd prefer a rarer steak, cook for a minute less on each side.
If you take a look at the post above, there's a handy steak doneness temperature chart!