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How to make peppercorn sauce

natrecipes284

Updated: Jan 10

Creamy peppercorn sauce has a lovely rich warmth to it that goes so well with a juicy steak . You can make it in about 10 minutes, while your steak is resting.

Serve over chips or left over without the steak) for a comforting weekend lunch!

A classic steak sauce made with black peppercorns, cream and brandy for a lovely, rich sauce that’s just right for a date night or a special occasion.

INGREDIENTS

Brandy Any brandy, cognac or marsala will be fine, but if you don’t want to use alcohol, then you can leave it out or add an extra spoonful of Worcestershire sauce.

Black Peppercorns You can also use green peppercorns for a milder flavour.

Cream Always use double (heavy) cream rather than single or light cream to ensure a luscious sauce that won’t split.

Stock We used beef stock but any good strong stock will work.

Shallots You can also use brown or white onions, chopped finely.

METHOD OF PREPARATION

  1. Place the peppercorns in a small bag and crush lightly (or use a mortar and pestle)

  2. Sauté the shallots, salt and peppercorns in butter and oil until softened

  3. Add the brandy, then the stock and Worcestershire sauce and boil rapidly for five minutes

  4. Stir in the cream and any pan juices and bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and serve.

Peppercorn Sauce Recipe

NATRECIPES

Creamy peppercorn sauce has a lovely rich warmth to it that goes so well with a juicy steak. Ready in 10 minutes!


Preparation Time

2 minutes

Cooking Time

8 minutes

Total Duration

10 minutes


Category

Sauces

Cuisine

French


Servings

4 people

Calories

192 kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp Black peppercorn sauce

  • 1 tbsp (15g) unsalted butter

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil (if you’ve just cooked steak to accompany this sauce, use the oils/meat-drippings left in the pan instead of the sunflower oil and butter)

  • 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 3 tbsp brandy

  • 180 ml (3/4 cup) beef stock

  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

  • 120 ml (1/2 cup) double (heavy) cream

Instructions

  • Place 3 teaspoons of the peppercorns in a zip-lock back, and roughly crush with a rolling pin (or use a pestle and mortar if you have one). Don’t bash too much – we want a bit of texture, rather than a fine powder. Put to one side.

  • Add the butter and oil to a frying pan and heat over a medium heat.

  • When the butter has melted, add the shallots, salt the crushed peppers from earlier and the remaining 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the shallots are just starting to soften.

  • Add the brandy to the pan, bubble for 1 minute, then add in the stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes until reduced by half.

  • Stir in the cream (if you have any juices from resting your steak, add them to the pan now too). Bring back to a simmer, then turn off the heat.

  • serve over steak


Notes

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, allow the sauce to cool completely then store in the fridge for up to two days. Reheat on a low heat, stirring until piping hot.

Ingredient swaps

Swap the alcohol; Leave out the brandy and add an extra teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce if you do not want to use the alcohol

Try green peppercorns instead of black for a milder flavour 


Keyword

#peppercorn, #sauce for steak

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