Peppercorn Cream Sauce - For Steaks, Chicken and Pork

One of the simplest of all sauces, I make this frequently for  steaks, chicken and pork. It is really quite forgiving and doesn't require any alcohol like my cognac cream sauce does. 

It's not that a compound butter isn't excellent on a steak, but if you're going for something a little more elegant or want to impress, this simple sauce will do it. You don't even need to use pan drippings to make it, although if you have them I do highly encourage that. 

Ready when the sauce is thickens.

I give you a recipe below but you need not do any elaborate measurements. If you're just serving two as I am tonight, then you can reduce the ingredients as I have done and shown here in the photos. 

Ingredients (for 4-6 servings)

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, coarsely crushed 
2 small shallots or one small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef stock

1 cup  heavy cream, room temperature

Salt, to taste

Instructions
Note: If you're frying steak, chicken, pork or even mushrooms leave the juices in the pan. This will add flavor to the peppercorn sauce, but it is not required to make an excellent sauce. 

Melt butter in the pan over medium heat and deglaze with a tablespoon or two of beef/chicken stock (or white wine if you prefer) scraping up any brown bits stuck to the surface. Add the shallots/onion and cook until fragrant and translucent, 2-3minutes.

Add garlic and crushed peppercorns and stir until the garlic just begins to brown 1-2 minutes. Pour in Worcestershire sauce and beef stock, then stir in cream. Taste and add salt as needed.

Reduce to a simmer and cook stirring gently until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon or leaves a clear trail when you swipe the bottom of the pan (about 5-8 minutes.) If you've cooked steak or any other meat you can stir in any juices the meat releases during resting, just prior to serving.