3 Tbsp black peppercorns, cracked 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots or onions 1/4 cup cognac or other brandy 1 cup beef broth or stock (for gluten-free version use gluten-free stock) 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the brandy and as it boils, deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon (helps to have one with a straight edge) to dislodge all the browned bits. Once the brandy is almost cooked away, add the beef stock and turn the heat to high. Boil the sauce down until there's a noticeable trail when you drag a wooden spoon through the center of it (4-5 minutes).
Pour in the heavy cream and resume boiling. Again, boil down until you can make that telltale trail from the wooden spoon. Turn off the heat and add the parsley and any remaining black pepper (no more than 1 Tbsp, the rest should have already been used to pepper the steaks). Taste for salt and add if needed.
Pour the sauce over the steaks right when you serve.
Serve on top of your steak