Steak Au Poivre

In a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag or between 2 sheets of waxed paper crush peppercorns and fennel seeds coarse with bottom of a heavy skillet. Pat steaks dry and coat both sides with peppercorn mixture. In a 10-inch heavy skillet heat butter and oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook steaks 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Season steaks with salt and transfer to plates. Pour off excess fat from skillet and add cream and Cognac. Boil mixture, scraping up browned bits, until sauce thickens and coats back of the spoon, about 1 minute. Season sauce with salt and spoon over steaks. This recipe yields 2 servings. Recipe Source: COOKING LIVE with Sara Moulton Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Magazine From the TV FOOD NETWORK - (Show # CL-9056 broadcast 02-02-1998) Downloaded from their Web-Site - http://www.foodtv.com Formatted for MasterCook by Joe Comiskey, aka MR MAD - jpmd44a@prodigy.com ~or- MAD-SQUAD@prodigy.net 08-12-1998 Recipe by: Sara Moulton