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1
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat.
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2
Add the peppercorns and boil for 30 seconds.
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3
Strain the peppercorns, place on a paper towel, and pat dry.
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4
Combine the peppercorns, ground ginger, allspice berries, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin and coriander seeds in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and pulse or crush to a coarse grind.
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5
Pat steaks dry and coat both sides with the spice mixture.
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6
In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add the butter and vegetable oil.
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7
Add the steaks and turn heat down to medium.
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8
Cook steaks for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of steaks.
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9
Youre aiming for medium rare.
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10
Remove cooked steaks and sprinkle with salt to season.
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11
Pour off excess fat from skillet and add the cream and cognac.
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12
Scrape the fond (the brown bits at the bottom of the pan) into the cream mixture while bringing it to a boil.
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13
Cook until it has reduced enough to coat a spoon.
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14
Pour the sauce over the steaks and serve.
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15
The spice mixture can be made up to 1 month in advance, and stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
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16
Cooks Note: If you still want flavor but are unsure of heat, blanch the peppercorns several times in fresh changes of water.
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17
The rub will be milder, but will maintain its texture.
