COGNAC FLIP RECIPES

Steps:

• Put steaks in a shallow dish and season well on both sides with salt. Sprinkle black pepper and Sichuan pepper evenly over steaks. Press pepper into both sides with hands and leave for 10 minutes.
• Put a large cast iron skillet over high heat. When surface is nearly smoking, swirl 1 tablespoon butter in the pan and add steaks. Adjust heat as necessary to keep steaks sizzling briskly.
• Cook for 2 minutes on first side; seared side should be nicely browned. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer steaks to a warm platter.
• Make the sauce: Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan. Add shallots and sauté for a minute or so, stirring, until they begin to brown. Add broth and bring to a brisk simmer. Add Cognac and continue to simmer until reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in crème fraîche and cook until sauce is lightly thickened.
• Return steaks to pan to warm, spooning sauce over them and turning once. Arrange steaks on platter or individual plates and top with more sauce. Garnish with bouquets of watercress and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Gently scrape the stems and gills from 4 large portobello mushrooms with a spoon and discard. Mince 1 large shallot (about 1/3 cup). Smash 4 peeled garlic cloves with the flat part of a chef’s knife. Cut 6 tablespoons unsalted butter into 6 pieces.
• Coarsely crush 1 heaping tablespoon whole peppercorns blend (or 1 teaspoon each whole black, red/pink, white, and green peppercorns) with a mortar and pestle, or by placing the peppercorns in a clean kitchen towel or plastic bag and crush them with a meat tenderizer or heavy skillet. Place in a small bowl and add 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil. Stir to combine.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed frying pan (at least 12 inches in diameter) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Meanwhile, use a spoon or your hands to rub the spice paste on the gill side of the mushrooms.
• Add the mushrooms to the skillet gill-side up. Cook, pressing the mushrooms down gently with a flat spatula to ensure maximum contact with the pan but being careful not to crack the mushrooms, until the bottoms are golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Flip the mushrooms again. Add the garlic, 4 pieces of the unsalted butter, and 5 fresh thyme sprigs. After the butter melts, tilt the pan towards you and use a spoon to baste the mushrooms with the butter until fully coated and the mushrooms are tender and golden-brown, about 2 minutes. Season the mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt.
• Transfer the mushrooms with tongs to a clean cutting board and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. If there are any burnt peppercorns in the pan, remove them with a spoon and discard.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and shallot to the pan. Sauté over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the shallot is translucent, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Carefully pour in 1/4 cup Cognac and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the pan to medium-low heat and cook until the alcohol is mostly cooked off, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until the broth is reduced slightly, about 3 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 8 minutes. Discard the thyme stems. Meanwhile, thickly slice the mushrooms. Arrange on a plate and top with the sauce, or return them to the sauce in the pan and serve from the pan.