Pan-Seared Steak With Red Wine Sauce

By Melissa Clark

Updated March 30, 2025

  • An overhead image of sliced steak on a plate next to greens.
    Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(1,620)
Comments
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You can use any cut of steak, either bone-in or boneless, to make this classic French bistro dish. Steaks cut from the tenderloin, such as filet mignon, are the most tender pieces of beef, though they lack the assertively beefy chew of sirloins and rib steaks. Adding brandy to the pan sauce not only contributes flavor; its high alcohol content and acidity help extract flavor from the pan drippings. However, if setting it on fire makes you nervous, skip that step and let the brandy simmer down for an extra few minutes to cook off most of the alcohol. Make sure to open a good bottle of red wine to use in the sauce here, preferably one that you’re happy to finish off with dinner. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Kosher salt, as needed

  • Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

  • 1 ½ pounds boneless steak, or 1 ¾ pounds bone-in steak (1 ½ inches thick)

  • 2 shallots

  • 2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter

  • ½ teaspoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed

  • 2 tablespoons good brandy, preferably Cognac

  • ⅓ cup dry red wine

  • ⅓ cup beef or chicken stock, preferably homemade

  • 1 tablespoon chopped chives

  • Watercress, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

7 grams carbs; 125 milligrams cholesterol; 523 calories; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 35 grams fat; 2 grams trans fat; 1 gram fiber; 656 milligrams sodium; 36 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Generously sprinkle salt and pepper all over steaks, then let steaks rest uncovered for 15 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, mince the shallots.

  2. Step 2

    Melt ½ tablespoon butter and the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add steaks and cook until done to taste, about 3 to 4 minutes per side for rare and a little longer for medium-rare or medium. (Bone-in steaks take a few minutes longer to cook through than boneless.) If the pan begins to smoke or burn, lower the heat. Transfer steaks to a plate to rest while you prepare the sauce.

  3. Step 3

    Add shallots to the skillet and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add brandy to the skillet and use a long-handled match or igniter to set the brandy on fire. (Stand back when you do this.) Let flames die out, then add red wine and cook until reduced and syrupy, 2 to 4 minutes. Add stock and boil until reduced and thickened, 3 to 4 minutes longer.

  4. Step 4

    Remove pan from heat and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the chives. Serve steaks and sauce immediately with watercress.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,620 user ratings
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Comments

Stephen F

This is a great steak, but the cook in the video pours cognac directly from the bottle into a hot skillet over a flame. Don't do that. There's a chance, albeit a slim one, that fumes will ignite back to the bottle. In that case, you have a low-grade but dangerous version of a Molotov cocktail. I measure the liquor into a small cup, briefly remove the skillet from the heat, add the alcohol and light it. When the alcohol stops burning, I return the pan to the heat. Best to be safe.

KC

Recipe says mince . . .

Arlo

I undercooked the steak (by accident). I realized it after the sauce was made when I started to slice the meat. I removed the sauce and put the pieces of sliced steak back in the pan where the sauce had been (without cleaning the pan). It was so good I'll do it that way intentionally next time!

Tanya C

I cooked this last night and enjoyed how simple it was and the sauce is great, also loved setting the sauce on fire. But when cooking steak in general the actual steak doesn't always taste that great. How to make steak taste good? I used beef loin tri tip steak from safeway which had some good marbling but obviously was only sub par. Do I need to only buy local beef or only certain cuts? Thank you!

cmos

@Tanya C - I got a waygu tritip from Costco and cut it against the grain into 1” thick slices. Salted it and let it sit for a half hour, then grilled it on the bbq. Hands down the best steak I’ve ever had. If you don’t have great meat then you have to compensate with either a marinade or a sauce. Great cooking is all about the ingredients… I learned that in Italy.

Jay

To actually get a FULLY SEARED surface place the well-salted, room temp steak in the smoking hot skillet and press it down with a spatula for 5ish seconds then leave it alone for 3-4 minutes, flip it and repeat. Boneless works better. With bone-in the bone may not be even with so searing boneless works better, and tastes better too.

mike b

2 whole shallots seems like a lot for less than a cup of sauce. Anyone?

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