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Strip Steaks with Pepper Cream Reduction

Strip steaks served with a pepper cream reduction sauce.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Strip Steaks with Pepper Cream Reduction

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the steak

  1. Season each steak with salt and a pinch of cracked pepper on both sides. Set aside.

  2. Melt butter with olive oil in a stainless steel skillet (don't use nonstick) over medium‑high heat.

Cook the steak

  1. Add steaks and cook 4–5 minutes per side for medium rare, 6–7 minutes for medium, and 8–9 minutes for toast.

  2. Remove steaks from pan and keep warm.

  3. Pour out pan drippings but do not scrape browned bits off.

Make the pepper cream sauce

  1. Deglaze pan with broth and bring to a boil over high heat until reduced by ⅔.

  2. Add remaining ingredients and remaining pepper.

  3. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to ½ cup.

  4. Drizzle sauce over steaks and serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

537Calories
28 gProtein
46 gFat
3 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Beef100g cooked250
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

  2. Cream + saucetop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,787 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  3. Olive + beeftop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,220 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-undecenal (sweet).

  4. Butter + saucetop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together15,338 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  5. Butter + olivetop 15% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together11,887 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

Butter and sauce barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 15,338 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

New york strip steaks
Provide the main protein, which firms and browns as it cooks.
Heavy cream
Adds richness and body to the sauce as it reduces.
Beef broth
Lifts the browned bits from the pan and forms the base of the sauce.
Unsalted butter
Adds fat and flavor and helps the steaks brown in the pan.
Cracked black peppercorns
Contribute sharp aroma and bite to the crust and the sauce.
Worcestershire sauce
Adds savory depth and a touch of acidity to the sauce.

The step that matters

Do not scrape the browned bits off the pan. The browned bits are caramelized proteins and sugars from the searing steak. Dissolving them into the broth during deglazing gives the sauce its deep, savory flavor, so leaving them behind would make the sauce flat.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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