Steak au poivre is French for pepper steak. It is a classic French dish and traditionally uses filet mignon, but any high quality cut of beef you prefer is fine to use. I served this on Father’s Day for my own wonderful father, Gene Otter, and my husband and the wonderful father to our children, Dave. Those two dads prefer the manlier bone-in ribeye to the filet, so that is what I used. The peppercorns form a crust on the steak and make a wonderful contrast to the rich and creamy brandy sauce that accompanies it. In France, common side dishes are mashed potatoes or pommes frites (French fries), but we went with another French classic, a wild mushroom tart (tomorrow’s recipe) and our house favorite, Parmesan asparagus. Good stuff all the way around!

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