• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FORAGER | CHEF

Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

  • Home
  • About
  • Wild Mushrooms
    • Mushroom Archive
    • Posts by Species
      • Other Mushrooms
        • Lobster Mushrooms
        • Huitlacoche
        • Shrimp of the Woods
        • Truffles
        • Morels
        • Shaggy Mane
        • Hericium
        • Puffball
      • Polypores
        • Hen of the Woods
        • Dryad Saddle
        • Chicken of The Woods
        • Cauliflowers
        • Ischnoderma
        • Beefsteak
      • Chanterelles
        • Black Trumpet
        • Hedgehogs
        • Yellowfeet
      • Gilled
        • Matsutake
        • Honey Mushrooms
        • Russula / Lactarius
          • Candy Caps
          • Saffron Milkcap
          • Indigo Milkcap
      • Boletes
        • Porcini
        • Leccinum
        • Slippery Jacks
    • Recipes
      • Fresh
      • Dried
      • Preserves
    • The Basics
  • Plants
    • Plant Archive
    • Leafy Green Recipes
      • Leafy Green Plant Varieties
    • Ramps and Onions
    • Wild Herbs and Spices
      • Spruce and Conifers
      • Pollen
      • Prickly Ash
      • Bergamot / Wild Oregano
      • Spicebush
      • Golpar / Cow Parsnip
      • Wild Carraway
    • Wild Fruit
      • Wild Plums
      • Highbush Cranberry
      • Wild Grapes
      • Rowanberries
      • Wild Cherries
      • Aronia
      • Nannyberry
      • Wild Blueberries
    • From The Garden
    • Nuts, Roots, Tubers and Grains
    • Stalks and Shoots
  • Meat
    • Four-Legged Animals
      • Venison
      • Small Game
    • Poultry
    • Fish/Seafood
    • Offal and Organ Meat Recipes
    • Charcuterie
  • Recipes
    • Pickles, Preserves, Etc
    • Fermentation
    • Condiments
    • Appetizers
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Side Dishes
    • Entrees
    • Baking
    • Sweets
  • Video
    • Field, Forest Feast (The Wild Harvest)
    • Foraging Videos
    • Lamb and Goat Series
    • YouTube Tutorials
  • Press
    • Podcasts / Interviews
  • Work
    • Public Speaking
    • Charity and Private Dinners
    • Forays / Classes / Demos

Steak Aux Poivre with Dried Bolete Sauce

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Peppercorn steak with dried wild mushroom sauce I learned to make steak aux poivre from watching my old chef from Rome, Angelo. Most of the time, he kept things pretty American-friendly, but the hanger steak aux poivre was done the old way: dredging the whole damn thing in freshly ground, coarse black pepper, then searing in a red hot pan. Oh, and it wasn’t called steak aux poivre, it was bistecca di manzo al pepe nero. My recipe is exactly the same as we served it back then, just with the addition of some special oak-loving dried bolete mushrooms in the pan sauce.

Back at the restaurant, the pepper steaks would dependably bounce from the dining room–people thought they were too spicy. All the line cooks would exclaim when they came back with anti customer jeers and everything else you’d expect. But, with what I know now, it was completely understandable, since how steak aux poivre is made will vary greatly from kitchen to kitchen.

Depending on the chef, and their predilection for your suffering, you might get mild, pickled, or spicy green peppercorns, a cute peppercorn blend, or my favorite: a dusting of ancient black pepper, it’s steel 9th-pan still sporting the same lazily dog-eared cling film and label from the day it was ground, months ago. If you get pink peppercorns, flip your plate in the air and walk out the door–they’re not even in the genus piper. I’m a glutton for punishment, so when I make it for myself, I want the crunchiest crunch, and a fiery mouth-full of aromatic, hot tellicherry peppercorns. At your house, you might tone it down a bit, especially if grandma’s coming to dinner.

Hanger steak au poivre dried bolete mushroom sauce (3)

A steak literally rolled in coarsely crushed peppercorns is a taste for people who crave heat.

While I’m on the peppercorn topic, you don’t just want any peppercorns, you want whole, black peppercorns. What won’t work, is a pepper mill, or god forbid that heretical, grey, tasteless sawdust in the white and red pop-top box. If you can find tellicherry peppercorns, spring for them as they’re the same dried fruit as regular black peppercorns, just a little bigger and more aromatic. You’ll pay more for tellicherry, but they’re worth trying if you haven’t had them, especially if you crave a little heat in your life.

Hanger steak au poivre dried bolete mushroom sauce (3)

Resting juices are good added to the pan.

No Crunch=No Fun

The other thing that’s important, even more than the peppercorns, is the exact size of the crushed corns themselves. Part of the what makes steak aux poivre delicious is the only slightly audible crunch-crunch the peppercorns make as you chew, each addictively abusive bite shooting a fresh wave of fire and bracing pepper into your senses again and again. What you don’t want, is black peppercorns ground into a powder, you’ll get heat from that, but not much else, and it turns into a floury, powdery mess. To get the peppercorns coarse like you want, it takes a little finesse.

Sifting peppercorns for steak peppersteak

A colander is good for separating large corns at home. The corns on the right are ready to go, the ones left in the colander will be re-ground.

Lanmaoa pallidorosea or boletus pallidoroseus

Lanmaoa pallidorosea

Grinding in a coffee or spice grinder might seem easy, and it is, but it’s not what you want to do. Typically I’d authorize two ways for my cooks to prepare the corns depending on what they preferred: crushed with the back of a pan on a metal sheet tray, or ground by hand in a mortar and pestle. After the corns are coarsely ground, they’re passed through a china cap sieve or a colander with large holes, then the large corns are coarse-ground again, and combined with the rest so the size is consistent.

I’ll usually garnish with a little sauce–something rich. Red wine, brandy, mushrooms, caramelized onions or cream would all would be welcome in some form in the sauce, preferably made fresh out of the pan the steak was cooked in, often with a little reduced stock or glace. Most restaurants, especially private clubs and chains will use demi-glace concentrate, but that stuff is garbage, and you’re honestly better off using stock from a can.

The mushrooms here were the last hoorah for the great Boletus pallidoroseus (now known as Lanmaoa pallidorosea) haul of 2013. If you’re not familiar, it’s a striking bolete with a pink flush on the stem and cap, which, by itself isn’t that noticeable, but when it’s dried, it has an unmistakable aroma of beef bouillon or rich beef broth. Every year since I’ve gone back to the same patch to look for more, and I’ve never seen a single one. Steak and mushroom sauce was a proper way to send them off.

Hanger steak au poivre dried bolete mushroom sauce (3)

Hanger steak au poivre dried bolete mushroom sauce (3)
Print Recipe
No ratings yet

Hanger Steak Aux Poivre with Dried Bolete Mushroom Sauce

Classic, fiery-hot peppercorn steak with a sauce made from dried wild mushrooms
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: French, Italian
Keyword: Boletes, Steak Aux Poivre
Servings: 2
Cost: 30

Equipment

  • Collander or China Cap, Mortar and Pestle

Ingredients

  • 2 five ounce hanger steak teres major, or tenderloin steaks
  • 3 cups beef stock preferably homemade
  • 1/2 ounce dried sliced bolete mushrooms
  • Black peppercorns preferably Tellicherry, as needed, about 1/2 cup
  • 1 tablespoon finely diced shallot to taste
  • 1/4 cup brandy or cognac
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • Kosher salt as needed to taste
  • 2 tablespoons flavorless cooking oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme optional
  • All purpose flour or equivalent, for dredging

Instructions

  • Soak the mushrooms in the stock until rehydrated, about 15 minutes. Agitate the mushrooms in their water to remove grit, then remove the mushrooms and reserve, strain the liquid and reserve both separately. If your mushrooms were full of holes from insect damage, or are a species that get slippery after rehydrating (Leccinum, slippery jack) chop them fine so you don't scare your dinner guests or loved ones. If the mushrooms were pristine, leave them whole or chop coarse.
  • Grind the peppercorns by hand in a mortar and pestle until coarse, then sift as pictured above for uniformly-sized peppercorns.
  • Season the hanger steak with salt to taste, then roll completely in the crushed peppercorns, pressing down hard to make them adhere. Next dust the steaks lightly in all purpose flour, tapping off the excess.
  • Heat the oil in the pan, then brown the steak on each side. Remove the steak when it's done to your liking and allow to rest in a warm place.
  • Add the shallot and a tablespoon of butter to the pan. Cook on medium heat until the shallots are starting to brown, then de-glaze with the brandy and reduce until the pan is nearly dry. Add the mushrooms and stock and reduce again. When the liquid in the pan is reduced to about 1 cup, roll the remaining tablespoon of butter, then whisk in to the sauce and reduce until the sauce is thickened to your liking. Add any juices weeped by the rested steak, and adjust the season for salt if needed.
  • The steak is pictured sliced for you to see the temperature, but it's probably easier to reheat whole servings uncut in the sauce, and plate them in one piece.

Notes

Steak
You can use lots of different steaks here, but hanger steak is my favorite.
Mushrooms
Besides boletes, black trumpets and morels are excellent too.
Serving
The steak is shown sliced, but it's easier to serve them in one piece at home.
The Heat 
Adjust the heat by not rolling your entire steak in peppecorns, if you or your loved ones are on the fence, start with crusting one side, or mixing the peppercorns 50/50 with ground dried mushrooms. 
Dredging 
You can also roll the steak in flour after crusting in the peppercorns instead of adding the butter rolled in flour, simmering the steak in the sauce to thicken it. This will make a softer crust. 

Related

Previous Post: « Dried Wild Mushroom Stroganoff
Next Post: Turkey Wild Rice Soup with Black Trumpet Mushrooms »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda

    December 29, 2019 at 12:04 am

    OMG I was drooling as I read this. That is the only way to make a steak! If only….

    Reply
    • Ann

      December 30, 2019 at 10:46 pm

      I do this as well, but prefer Malabar pepper.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

James Beard Award Winner

beard award

Subscribe (It’s free)

Forager Chef

Forager Chef

Footer

Instagram

foragerchef

FORAGER | CHEF®
🍄🌱🍖
Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
James Beard Award ‘22
Host: Field Forest Feast 👇
streaming on @tastemade

Alan Bergo
HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mul HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mulberry trees and both got a bunch of fruit knocked down by the storms and wind. 

If anyone in West WI or around the Twin Cities knows of some trees, (ideally on private property but beggars can’t be choosers) that I could climb and shake with a tarp underneath, shoot me a DM and let’s pick some! 🤙😄

TIA

#throwadogabone #mansquirrel #beattlefruit #mulberries #shakintrees
Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of t Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. 

These are an ancient wild food traditionally harvested in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia and the Salentine Peninsula, as well as Greece and Crete. I’ve seen at least 6-7 different names for them. 

A couple different species are eaten, but Leopoldia comosa is probably the one I see mentioned the most. They also grow wild in North America. 

The bulbs are toxic raw, but edible after an extended boil. Traditionally they’re preserved in vinegar and oil, pickled, or preserves in other methods using acid and served as antipasti. (Two versions in pic 3). 

They’re one of the most heavily documented traditional wild foods I’ve seen. There’s a few shots of book excerpts here.

The Oxford companion to Italian Food says you can eat them raw-don’t do that. 

Even after pickling, the bulbs are aggressively extremely bitter. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that’s grown on me. 

#traditionalfoods #vampagioli #lampascione #cucinapovera #lampascioni #leopoldiacomosa #foraging
Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke sallet and didn’t do too well (I’m at the tip of its range). I did see some feral horseradish though which I don’t see very often. 

Just like wild parsnip, this is the exact same plant you see in the store and garden-just escaped. 

During the growing season the leaves can be good when young. 

They have an aggressive taste bitter enough to scare your loved ones. Excellent in a blend of greens cooked until extra soft, preferably with bacon or similar. 

For reference, you don’t harvest the root while the plant is growing as they’ll be soft and unappealing-do that in the spring or fall. This is essentially the same as when people tell you to harvest in months that have an R in them. 

#amoraciarusticana #foraging #horseradishleaves #horseradish #bittergreens
In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo del carrubo” (carob tree mushroom) as it’s one of the common tree hosts there. 

My favorite, and really the only traditional recipe I’ve found for them so far is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with hot chile and capers, served with grilled bread. 

Here I add herbs too: fresh leaves of bee balm that are perfect for harvesting right now and have a flavor similar to oregano and thyme. 

Makes a really good side dish or app, especially if you shower it with a handful of pecorino before scooping it up with the bread. 

#chickenofthewoods #fungodelcarrubo #allthemushroomtags #traditionalfoods #beebalm
First of the year 😁. White-pored chicken of t First of the year 😁. 

White-pored chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) are my favorite chicken. 

Superior bug resistance, slightly better flavor + texture. They also stay tender longer compared to their more common yellow-pored cousins. Not a single bug in this guy. 

#treemeat #ifoundfood #foraging #laetiporuscincinnatus #chickenofthewoods
TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with @jesseroes TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with 
@jesseroesler and crew @campwandawega
📸 @misterberndt 

#staffmeal #brisket #meatsweats #naptime
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Privacy

  • Privacy Policy

Affiliate Disclosure

 I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchases help keep this website free and help with the many costs involved with this site as it has continued to grow over the years. 

Copyright © 2022 ·