Creamy Black Pepper Sauce

A couple of years ago, I saw a serving suggestion on the back of a bag of fresh Tagliatellie  to serve it with a steak and black pepper sauce. Immediately, I wanted to try the meal, so I looked up about how to make a creamy peppercorn sauce to go with it. In the end I looked at several recipes and did my own thing based on the similarities. The result was yummy, and while initially the idea of making a creamy sauce from scratch seemed daunting, this method actually turned out to be quite simple.

This recipe is for a sauce to be used with red meat, and is perfect for going with a steak dinner. However this sauce is also gorgeous with a Haggis Stuffed Chicken Breast. If you want this sauce with a chicken meal, simply replace the Brandy with White Wine, and the Beef Stock with Chicken Stock. Doing this make a slightly lighter sauce that works better with chicken.

Ingredients: 50g Butter A Good Glug of Brandy 1 Beef Stock Pot/Stock Cube Ground Black Pepper Pinch of Salt Up to 500ml Water 5 Tbsp Creme Fraiche 2 Tsp Cornflour mixed with 2 Tsp Water 2 Tsp Fresh Peppercorns (Optional)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-high heat, then pour in the brandy and cook for a minute or two.
2. Add in the beef stock pot and stir until dissolved. Add in the water. If you want more than 500ml of sauce, then add in an extra stock pot.
3. Add in several generous pinches of ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. Add as much pepper to your own taste, if you want a good bite add in more, if you just want a hint of the flavour, add less. Simmer on the hob for a few minutes to infuse.
4. Add in the Creme Fraiche (again, if making more sauce, add in extra) and mix in with a whisk. Check the flavour and adjust the seasoning if desired.
5. Add a little of the cornflour mixture at a time to thicken the sauce, stirring consistently. If you run out of cornflour and want a thicker sauce, simply add in some more cornflour mixture, if it's too thick, then just add a little more water/
6. Finally, if using, add in the fresh peppercorns. I like to use a mixture of 1tsp of both green and pink peppercorns. If using, you need to use the fresh peppercorns (I use these ones from Waitrose) not the dried, as the fresh give a lovely light bite if you crunch on one - dried ones would probably break your teeth.