Steak au Poivre

4 6-8 oz filets, or 4 12 oz ribeyes - something nice
1/4 cup peppercorns, black or black with pink and green
1 1 shot bottle of cognac, or 1/4 cup, divided
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl olive oil

1. Place the peppercorns in a plastic bag, and crack them well with a mallet, or the bottom of a cast iron skillet. A rolling pin works too. If all you have is black peppercorns, that's great - it's yummy. But if you have a mix of different kinds of peppercorns, give it a try. It's great both ways.
2. Place the cracked peppercorns in a pie plate, and press both sides of each steak into the pepper. You have to love pepper to love this dish - but you don't want a two inch thick layer of pepper on each side of the steak. On the other hand, Poivre means pepper - and you'll be surprised at how mild that much pepper is. So give each side of each steak a good layer and then press the peppercorns into the meat and set aside while you prep your pan. See the video on Steak au Poivre for step by step instructions.
   
3. Over medium to medium high heat, heat olive oil and butter, just until the butter barely begins to color.
4. Add steaks to hot pan - being careful not to crowd the pan. The steaks need clearance on all sides - for two reasons. You don't want to drop the temperature of your pan too much by adding too much cooler food to it at once. Neither do you want the food too close together, otherwise you'll steam your steaks. Ewwwww. You want the crust the higher heat will produce. If you have to do two batches - do it.
   
5. Cook the steaks for 3-5 minutes per side - depending on how thick they are. In the video mine were about 3/4 of an inch thick, and it was three minutes per side. Flip them once and only once, then don't touch!
6. When the second side has cooked, remove the steaks to a plate, cover with foil, and pretend they don't exist while you make your sauce.
7. Turn the heat on the pan down just a bit - to medium. Pull the pan off the heat. Add all but 1 Tbl of the cognac to the pan, and with a long match flame the pan (I use a torch). When the flame subsides, add the cream, stirring well to get the fond (crusty brown stuff) up off the bottom of the pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and allow it to reduce by about half, stirring occasionally. It will thicken beautifully. When it will cling to the back of a spoon - it's ready. Add the last little bit of cognac to the sauce and stir to combine.
   
8. Add the steaks and any juices collected on the plate to the sauce, turning to coat, then transfer to serving plates. Top each steak with a few spoonfuls of the sauce, or pass it at the table.Or pretend there isn't any more and drink it all yourself.