Spice rub the salt for flavor and the sugar for caramelization. The simplest rub is just coarsely ground black pepper as in steak au poivre. Spice rubs can also have ingredients such as herbs, crushed garlic or oil added to make a paste. Less common ingredients can include coffee beans. Spice rubs are mainly used for preparing meats and fish. There are many different recipes for rubs and most of them are targeted towards a specific kind of food. The exact combination of spices that makes a good rub for a particular kind of food varies from region to region and culture
Steak au poivre seared at a high temperature to cook the outside quickly and form the crust while leaving the interior rare to medium-rare. The steak is then left to rest for several minutes and then served. "Steak au poivre" is often served with pan peppercorn sauce consisting of reduced cognac, heavy cream, and the fond from the bottom of the pan, often including other ingredients such as butter, shallots, and/or Dijon mustard. Common side dishes to "steak au poivre" are various forms of mashed potatoes and "pommes frites" (small fried shoestring potatoes). "Steak au poivre" may be found in traditional French restaurants