Fillet steak with green peppercorn sauce

1. Season the steaks well with salt and black pepper and heat a heavy frypan over high heat. Add the oil and the steaks. Cook the steaks for about 2 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of your steaks, then add the butter to the pan. Tilt the pan to collect the butter on one side, and spoon the hot butter over the steaks continuously until cooked to your liking. I prefer fillet steaks to be rare to blue, and that will take just a minute or two for thick steaks. Remove the steaks from the pan and rest them on a warm plate in a draught-free place while you prepare the sauce.

2. Discard any butter remaining in the pan and return it to the heat. To make the sauce, add the green peppercorns, stock, cream, wine, brandy and soy sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve immediately.

Tip: Cooking a steak will depend on many factors such as pan size, pan material, cut, thickness, and burner output. Recipes can guide you, but as with all things, practice makes perfect.

Serve with: Adam Liaw's garlic breadcrumb salad