What Is Peppercorn Sauce? [EXPLAINED] Recipe & More! (2024)

FAQs

What is peppercorn sauce made of? ›

Ingredients. Primary ingredients are typically peppercorns and heavy cream. Additional ingredients may include butter, wine, brandy, such as cognac, shallots, garlic and additional seasonings, such as bay leaf, star anise, tarragon and salt. Some versions may incorporate liquor, such as whiskey.

A: The main difference between pepper sauce and peppercorn sauce lies in their key ingredients. Pepper sauce is crafted from chili peppers whereas peppercorn sauce is made from peppercorns specifically black, green, or other varieties.

If you still want to make this Peppercorn Sauce for Steak but can't or don't want to use alcohol such as brandy or cognac, you can substitute the alcohol with 1/3 cup beef stock or water. This will be used to deglaze the pan and pick up any flavorful bits after you've seared your steak.

The famous old sauce beloved of steak aficionados, usually termed simply peppercorn sauce, or pepper sauce (not to be confused with North America's ubiquitous 'hot sauce'), and the classic dish called Steak au Poivre are not exactly the same thing. One is all about the sauce, the other about the steak.

Peppercorn sauce is packed full of rich and smoky flavours and has a delicious texture because of the double cream and beef broth. The ingredients for peppercorn sauce consist of banana shallots, Madagascar peppercorns, a splash of brandy, double cream, and a few other well-picked elements.

History of Hot Sauce

7000 BC: The first known hot sauce was invented by the Aztecs. Their simple recipe was a mixture of water and ground-up chili peppers—no fancy flavors or exotic peppers here.

The three peppercorn sauce is an old favourite in the Potts' household and is made using rich green peppercorns, spicy black pepper and fragrant pink peppercorns along with a splash of brandy. Simply warm the sauce in a pan after cooking your steak and pour over.

Brandy is the classic flavour for peppercorn sauce but you can easily substitute another spirit. Readers have used both whiskey and vermouth with success.

What is ghost pepper sauce? ›

Ghost pepper sauce is a type of hot sauce that is made with ghost peppers, also known as Bhut Jolokia peppers. It is usually red or orange in color and has a thick, pudding-like consistency. Watch out because it is very spicy with a slow-building heat that lingers long after you've eaten it.

Bearnaise has the addition of peppercorns, tarragon and a jazzed up vinegar reduction. In a small saucepan, combine wine, vinegar, 2 sprigs tarragon, shallot and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced to about 2 Tbsp liquid, about 20 minutes.

If you would like an even thicker sauce, mix 2 teaspoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and add to sauce, whisking continuously. Cook for 1 minute more. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Taste and add season with more kosher salt and crushed black pepper as needed.

“Try a combination of 1 part ketchup to ½ part soy sauce and ½ part malt vinegar to start," Malivert says, "and play with the proportions to balance the flavor.” Use this as a 1-to-1 substitute for Worcestershire sauce.

For black pepper, peppercorn berries are picked while still green, allowed to ferment, and are sun-dried until they shrivel and turn a brownish-black color (1, 2). Botanically, black pepper is a member of the Piperaceae (pepper family).

These berries, or peppercorns, are also known as pepper or black pepper. Black peppercorns are actually the unripe green fruit of the plant. The most common process of creating black peppercorns is to boil them after they have been picked and then use heat to dry them.

Black pepper is a spice that is made by grinding peppercorns, which are the fruit of the Piper nigrum plant. Peppercorns are the raw form of black pepper and come in a variety of colors, including black, white, green, and pink.

Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world.