Peppercorn Steak and Pea Puree with Crispy Fried Scallions

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We’ve gone on a little kick here at the Dinnertime Somewhere compound in creating restaurant quality plating for our home cooking. This isn’t something that we do often, but on occasion it’s nice to try and create a beautiful plate of food that is just as appealing to look at as it is to eat. This beautiful plate of food ended up coming out perfect, so we wanted to share it with you all. It’s a Peppercorn Steak and Pea Puree dish, combining the classic French preparation of a Steak au Poivre with a velvety, creamy Pea Puree for a striking visual appeal on the plate

You can easily make a restaurant-quality dish like this at home

These kind of dishes aren’t ones you need to make every day. However, for a special occasion, or when you’re feeling a little creative in the kitchen, it’s a perfect time to make a fancy plate of food. For this dish there are two main components. First is the Pea Puree, and the second is the Peppercorn Steak

Here’s how to perfect each of these two components. Spoiler: They’re both super easy!

Making a beautiful, creamy Pea Puree

There’s something about adding a Puree to a dish that instantly elevates it’s sophistication. In reality, it’s essentially the same as serving up a side of vegetables on plate, just they’ve been blitzed. Purees have been a food trend in restaurants for decades now, and they never really seem to go out of style. It’s something about the vibrant colors and ability to mold them into whatever presentation you like that makes them a great addition to a restaurant quality plate of food

This Pea Puree couldn’t be simpler to create. All you need to do is barely cook the Peas and then blitz them in the blender along with a few other ingredients and it’s done. You don’t want to overcook the Peas, only 2 minutes in boiling water (or in this instance, Chicken Broth). Cooking them for just 2 minutes will ensure they are cooked, but will also still retain their brilliant green color

Along with the Peas we add Chicken Broth, Butter, Salt, and Roast Garlic to the blender. The Roast Garlic is an additional ingredient we developed while making our Pea Puree recipe and it’s a welcome addition. The rich sweetness that Roast Garlic brings to the dish adds a great depth of flavor

We’ve gone long on this amazing side dish in our dedicated Pea Puree recipe here. So, if you want to learn more about it we highly recommend checking out that article. Regardless, we have the full recipe outlined below too so you can stick around here and get the detailed recipe!

The Peppercorn Steak

While the Pea Puree gives this dish it’s striking visual appeal, there is no doubt that the true star of the show is this amazing Peppercorn Steak. It’s a borrowed recipe from the famous Steak au Poivre dish, which is a Steak that has been generously coated in crushed Peppercorns and cooked to perfection

The first choice to make is what cut of Steak to use. For the photos in this recipe we used a beautiful piece of NY Strip. This is my preferred choice for this recipe for a few reasons. It has great flavor and holds up well to the aggressiveness of the Peppercorn coating. It also has a great shape for slicing and plating on top of the Pea Puree

This dish is so versatile however, that you can use a myriad of cuts of Beef, and it’ll work out great. Other suitable options we would recommend trying are Beef Tenderloin, Hanger, Porterhouse, Flank, or Flat Iron. There’s lots of choices!

We only recommend you use a cut of Steak that is a little thicker. Mainly because of how aggressive the Peppercorn flavor is. If you’re using a thin cut of meat (like Skirt for instance) there is not enough meat to coating ratio, which will result in an overly peppery taste

Make your Peppercorn coating by grinding the Pepper with a Mortar and Pestle

Hopefully this is a relatively common kitchen utensil in most homes. If not, there are alternatives we’ve got for you. However, for the absolute best result in creating the Peppercorn Steak coating you must use a Mortar and Pestle. Grind the Black Peppercorns down in a mixture of Salt (and optional Garlic Powder), in the Mortar and Pestle for a smooth, even coating

If you don’t have a Mortar and Pestle you can go old fashioned and use a Peppercorn grinder. We do need a lot of Pepper for this dish however, so you may be grinding the Pepper for a while! Another option is to place the Peppercorns on a sturdy surface, cover with a tea towel and then back them with a heavy pan or rolling pin

We recommend using a Mortar and Pestle, however. They’re available everywhere and you’ll be surprised how often you end up using it in home cooking

Coat the Steak then cook it the classic way – with loads of Butter and Garlic!

Once you’ve created your Peppercorn seasoning, scatter it liberally over a plate. Then take your Steak and press down on the Peppercorn with the Steak on all sides. We want a full, even coating of Pepper all over the Steak

This may seem like too much Pepper, but it isn’t. Remember, the Pepper is only coating the outside of the Steak, not inside. It’ll all even out when it’s sliced up and served. This is why we do recommend using a thicker cut of steak, however. Thin cuts will ultimately result in an overly peppery taste

Then, into a hot pan it goes to get a great sear. After a few minutes, drop the heat to medium and then add the classic combination of Butter, Garlic, Thyme, and Rosemary. Once the Butter has melted, allow it to pool with all the other ingredients to flavor it

Then, tilt the pan towards you and spoon over that beautiful Butter on top of the Steak until it is cooked through to medium rare. We like to take it off the heat at around 115F. Allow the Steak to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before slicing and serving

Add some crunchy Fried Scallions to finish off this wonderful Peppercorn and Steak Puree dish

The final step to this wonderful dish is to add a beautiful, crunchy topping. You have a few options here such as crushed up Peanuts or even Breadcrumbs. However, the best result is some lightly fried Scallion slices!

Simply dust the Scallion slices with some AP Flour then give them about 2 minutes in some hot oil until they’re golden brown. Strain them on a paper towel and they’re ready to serve. They add a beautiful, sweet finish to the dish, a wonderful flavor, and they look great too!

Peppercorn Steak and Pea Puree with Crispy Fried Scallions Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 NY Strip Steaks (12 oz.)
• 2 tbsp. Black Peppercorns
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 10g Unsalted Butter
• 4 Sprigs each of Thyme and Rosemary
• 1 Scallion, halved and sliced
• 1 tsp. All Purpose Flour
• ⅓ cup of Neutral Oil (eg: Canola or Vegetable Oil)
  
  

Pea Puree Ingredients

• 250g Frozen Peas
• 2 Shallots, peeled and cut in half
• 1 Garlic Bulb
• 1 cup of Chicken Broth (recipe here)
• 20g Unsalted Butter
• 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt
  
  

Equipment needed: Blender or Food Processor

Instructions

1. Slice off the top part of the Garlic to reveal the flesh inside. Wrap in foil leaving the top exposed then pour in the Olive Oil and add a pinch of Salt. Wrap tightly then add to a Sheet Pan with the Shallots
2. Roast in the Oven at 375F for 45 minutes, turning the Shallots halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove the Garlic flesh and add to the blender / food processor along with the Shallots
3. Bring the Chicken Broth (or Water) to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the Peas and cook for 2 minutes. Strain the Peas and retain the Chicken Broth
4. Once cooled, add Peas and Chicken Broth to the Blender along with ½ tsp. of Salt and Butter. Blitz on medium for 2 – 3 minutes until smooth. Set aside and re-heat when ready to serve
   
   

Peppercorn Steak

5. Add the Peppercorn and Salt to a Mortar and Pestle. Grind until the Peppercorns turn into a powder. Scatter the powder on a large plate. Press the Steaks down on the Peppercorns to generously coat them on all sides
6. Add 1 tbsp. of Oil to a large frying pan over a high heat. Once smoking hot, carefully place the Steaks in the center of the Pan. Cook for 4 minutes then flip and drop the heat to medium
7. Add the Butter, Garlic, Thyme, and Rosemary to the Pan. Tilt the pan toward you so the Butter can pool in the Garlic and Herbs to flavor it. Baste the Steak with the Butter using a large spoon and cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the internal temperature of the Steak is 115F
8. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing
9. While the Steak is resting, clean the pan and add ¼ cup of Neutral Oil. Coat the Scallions in Flour and a pinch of Salt and place into the Oil once hot. Fry for 2 – 3 minutes until golden brown. Strain and set aside for serving
   
   

Plating the Peppercorn Steak and Pea Puree dish

10. Add a generous quantity of Pea Puree (at least 2 heaped spoonful’s) on a plate.  Place 3 – 4 slices of Steak directly on top of the Pea Puree. Finish with the crispy Scallions and some Flaky Sea Salt and serve
    
    

Recipe Notes

• You can replace the Chicken Broth with Water
• Other Steaks to use for this recipe are Tenderloin, Flat Iron, Hanger, Porterhouse, or Flank Steak
  
  

We hope you enjoy cooking this delicious Peppercorn Steak and Pea Puree with Crispy Fried Scallions recipe. It’s a restaurant-quality type of dish that is so easy to make at home

For more beautiful dishes that look like they should be from a fancy restaurant, but can easily be made at home, check out these recipes:

• Salmon with Dill Sauce and Barley Salad
• Beef Teriyaki Tataki
• Fire Roasted Cabbage with Red Pepper Sauce
• Brown Butter Sage Gnocchi with Mushroom and Goats Cheese
  
  

Happy Cooking!