Brandy Cream Sauce with Peppercorns

Well our dinner last night consisted of twice baked potato, fresh asparagus and 2 New York Strip Steaks. With our appetites not being what they used to be, there is almost one whole steak left over. The steak was cooked rare and medium rare. To not have it go to waste, I'll add a sauce to go over top of the steak.
This is a great way to use left over steak and it helps to stretch your food dollars. Always try and come up with ways to re-invent what you have from a previous meal.
My husband's attempt at making a brandy cream sauce he spotted on a cooking show was a total flop. I'll attempt my own version for the left over steak.

Here is one more instance of checking out a recipe from a well known chef on television and being astounded at how the recipe was written up. Now I am not a culinary school trained chef but I know that you don't start a sauce by melting the butter, unless of course you are making a roux. Butter in a sauce always gets added at the end - cold butter at that and it gets whisked in. If you start with butter in the beginning and if your heat is too high, you get a totally separated sauce which is so unappealing.
I'm correcting that with my recipe for a brandy cream sauce with crushed peppercorns.

• 1 tbsp. peppercorns - crushed
• 1 cup beef broth or stock (The alternative is beef base mixed with water per the directions from the manufacturer.)
• 1 or 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard (This is really about personal taste. Start with 1 and increase to your liking.)
• 3/4 brandy
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or use half and half)
• 3 tbsp. cold butter (make 3 chunks)

1. If you are using left over beef, from a rare or medium rare steak, allow the steak to fully come to room temperature. Slice the steak if you so choose.
2. While that is going on you can make the brandy cream sauce to go with the steak.
3. In a skillet and in your broth, stock or the beef base mixture. Let this come up to a bubble then simmer until it is reduced by almost half.
4. While the broth is reducing, place your peppercorns in a zip lock bag and crush with a mallet or a heavy fry pan.
5. When the beef has reduced, add in the brandy. When adding the brandy do it by lifting the pan off of the stove and then add the brandy to the pan.
6. Whisk in the brandy and allow the alcohol in the brandy burn off by cooking it over a medium heat for a few minutes.
7. Reduce the heat back to low and whisk in the Dijon mustard and add in the crushed peppercorns. Keep whisking well.
8. Next add in the heavy cream and keep whisking over low heat.
9. Finally, add in the 3 chunks of cold butter and whisk like crazy to incorporate.
10. Place your room temperature sliced steak into the sauce. Give a few stirs so the beef heats through, or if the beef is fine just pour the sauce over it and serve immediately.