Steak au poivre in most urban areas. Steak au poivre Steak au poivre (, Quebec French pronunciation : ) or pepper steak is a French dish that consists of a steak, traditionally a filet mignon, coated with coarsely cracked peppercorns and then cooked. The peppercorns form a crust on the steak when cooked and provide a pungent but complementary counterpoint to the rich flavor of the high-quality beef. The peppercorn crust itself is made by placing the steak in a bed of cracked black (or mixed) peppercorns. Typically, the steak is seared in a hot skillet with a small amount of butter and
Pot-au-feu lord's land. For people living in towns, it was easier to buy inexpensive pieces of meat, which needed long cooking times. The method of cooking all food together and for extended periods of time (the whole day sometimes) gave what was called a ""pot-pourri"" in French and imported into English in the early 17th century. The relation between "pot-pourri" and "pot-au-feu" was attested in 1829 in the "Etymologic dictionary of the French language: ""Pot pourri. The name our fathers gave to the "pot-au-feu""". The cuts of beef and the vegetables involved vary, but a typical "pot-au-feu" contains: Cooking cartilaginous meat