Creamy Black Pepper Sauce

APoc184

APoc184

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Our Spar close to work sell a variety of ready-made food and I tried their Pepper Steak today with some crispy cheese rolls.

Up until now I never understood why people say that food can be orgasmic.

This stuff was so damn delicious. And it was not the steak but the sauce that made it so incredibly tasty. I left half of the steak and finished all the sauce with the cheese rolls.

I went back to the Spar now but as expected and understandably the "Chef" does not want to share his recipe.

Please share your recipes of Black Pepper Sauce with me. I want to try this tonight if possible. There was definitely a creaminess to the sauce and it wasn't really spicy or hot. Just a strong pepper taste.

Thank you
 
samr1wp said:
good to have a "sauces only" thread
Click to expand...

Is there one? I did a quick scan but saw nothing.

Sorry if there is one. Will look now!

If not... After we have discovered the secret to my sauce, I will start a new thread and that recipe can be the first one. :D
 
Trick is a combination white pepper powder and cracked black pepper. The white pepper gives it a good pepper hit without much burn (so you get more black pepper flavour in the sauce than using cracked pepper alone) and the black pepper carries it through with that distinctive flavour.

There is another method where you gently simmer milk in tons of black peppercorns for a good hour then let it cool, strain and use that to make a white sauce. The trick is to extract the black pepper taste without the burn, and this happens when it is ground into a powder form. The alternative is to soak them in vinegar overnight which will extract the piperine, which is what burns. It also adds a tiny bit of acidity to the corns which is good in a sauce.

My black pepper sauce is simply a bechamel (proper infused bechamel) with white pepper and black pepper, brandy, and worcestershire sauce. You can also use some chicken stock in place of some of the milk if you want a slightly more savoury flavour, but I prefer plain old black pepper and salt to taste. Doing it with cream reduces the cream too much before the pepper infuses properly imo, so I prefer to stick with a bechamel base, although if you like the sauce quite thick then cream will also do the trick in place of a bechamel.

Brandy and worcestershire sauce work really well and help to give it that brown look. Another trick is to make a beurre noisette for your bechamel before adding the flour, which gives it a good nutty flavour. Just remember to use a little brandy and cook out the alcohol as much as possible before using...
 
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A quick search reveals plenty of recipes with finely chopped onions, flour, beef stock, cracked peppercorns, milk and at times cream.

How good will that turn out, resident Master Chef DJ...?
 
No onions. Absolutely no onions unless you want to infuse your milk with a little onion flavour. I wouldn't let onions near a black pepper sauce...:mad:

And the beef stock will be rather strong and overpowering imo. I'd stick with a light chicken stock. And not just cracked black pepper. Use white pepper powder as well...
 
alf101 said:
You have a 10 minute version with ingredients available at Spar?

Once I'm doing grilling my steak, I add in a bit of wine or brandy, reduce it a bit...
Then I just chuck some Creme Fraiche, rinsed green peppercorns, followed by salt and ground black pepper.
It's done in under 5 minutes.
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Bechamel with a beurre noisette, white pepper powder, cracked black pepper, salt, reduced brandy, splash of worcestershire sauce. Done in 10 minutes...
 
So tell me if this will be a winner?

Going to melt 3 tablespoons of butter and whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour. Then slowly add 2 cups of milk while whisking continuously.

!HELP! - How long do I cook/reduce this before adding the rest?

I then add a mixture of cracked black peppercorns (2 tablespoons) and powdered white pepper with a splash of brandy? And salt to taste.

Then reduce or cook until the right consistency? I will check if I have Worcester Sauce. Doubt it.
 
alf101 said:
Make a video.
No ways you're getting that right in 10 minutes.

My steak will be long gone before you get that ready.
Click to expand...

You must remember to rest your steak. Best piece of advice I have ever received from DJ...
 
samr1wp said:
that sauce can be done in 10mins ...how quick you can whisk is the issue

furk the brandy ..whats an alternative
Click to expand...
Use a cup of vinegar with 3 spoons of salt dissolved into it :whistle:

disclaimer: this advice is only for sammyboy
 
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