Oh, and my birthday, too. We made the traditional (for us) steak au poivre in a cognac (in this case, armagnac) cream sauce with frites (French fries). The beef was rumsteak (sirloin in American English) from a local butcher. This piece weighs in at 410 grams (just over 14 ounces). Here it is "marinating" in crushed black pepper prior to cooking.
Once the beef is seared, it's removed from the pan to rest. Whatever's left in the pan forms the base of the sauce. Ken added a little fond de veau (veal reduction) for flavor and consistency along with cream and a good helping of armagnac. In between the main course and the dessert, we enjoyed a salad of frisée (curly endive) in vinaigrette. Wine was a sparkling Vouvray as an aperitif then a red Seguret (Côtes du Rhône Villages) with the main course.
The sauce is served over the beef (cooked rare for our taste) with fries along side. Yum! Tomorrow, I'll show you the dessert.
That is one beautiful birthday solstice dinner!
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