HOT JALAPENO & HABANERO JACK CHEESE STUFFED LONDON BROIL AU POIVRE

London Broil stuffed with a blend of shredded Jalapeno & Habanero Jack cheese; covered with a melange of crushed peppercorns and flambéed in a brandy cream sauce . . .WOW! It's actually not as hot as it sounds; this recipe won't burn your tongue but it does have a nice "kick" to it.

Step 1: INGREDIENTS (2 Servings)

FOR THE STEAK:

1. 1 12 to 14 ounce cut of raw *London Broil, 1-1/2 to 2" thick (or 2 each 6 or 7 ounces cuts)
2. 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
3. 2 TBS Peppercorn Melange (or just plain black peppercorns)
4. 1/4 cup shredded *Walmart Great Value Hot Jalapeno & Habanero Jack Cheese
5. 1 TBS unsalted butter
6. 1 teaspoon quality EVOO (I have recently discovered 365's 100% California Unfiltered Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

• *NOTE: If you can afford them, a couple of Filet Mignons or nice, thick, NY Strip Steaks could be used instead of London Broil, but the London Broil worked extremely well in this recipe and was not at all tough.
• NOTE: I have been searching far and wide for some really hot shredded cheese and, much to my surprise, I finally found exactly what I was looking for at a local Walmart Supercenter!.

FOR THE AU POIVRE SAUCE

1. 1/3 cup good Brandy or Cognac, plus 1 teaspoon
2. 1 cup regular whipping cream

Step 2: PREPARE THE MEAT

1. Crush (pound) the peppercorns in a mortar (or place them in a small, heavy, ziplock bag and pound them)
2. Cut a pocket into the center of the steak(s); work a sharp knife around to enlarge the pocket as much as possible without cutting through the back of sides.
3. Using your fingers, insert the 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Push it in; compact it as much as possible.
4. Sprinkle the 1 teaspoon of kosher salt over all sides of the meat.
5. Close the pocket opening with toothpicks.
6. Spread the crushed peppercorns over all surfaces of the meat, pressing it in as you work around the steak.
7. Cover the coated and stuffed Steak(s) with plastic wrap and let them rest on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour (bringing them to room temperature before cooking).

Step 3: COOKING THE STEAK

1. Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium heat.
2. As soon as the butter & oil mixture begins to turn golden and starts to smoke, place the steak(s) in the pan. Cook each *side for about 4 or 5 minutes (see note below) for medium rare.
3. When done (when all sides have been cooked), remove the pan from the heat; place the steak on a dish and cover with aluminum foil, thus keeping it warm while you prepare the Au Poivre.

• *NOTE: This was a really odd shaped piece of London Broil. It appeared to have 5 sides, and no 2 sides were alike. It had a maximum thickness of 2", but it also had one side that was barely 1 half inch thick in places. Consequently I cooked the thickest side for 5 minutes, then, as I turned the steak I cooked the remaining sides for from anywhere between 3 & 4 minutes depending on the thickness of each of the remaining sides. Quite honestly, when I finally began to slice the steak on a serving dish I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was done to perfection (as far as I am concerned)!

Step 4: MAKE THE AU POIVRE

1. With the pan still off the heat, pour off any excess fat remaining in the pan, but do not scrape or wipe the pan clean.
2. Add the 1/3 cup of Brandy and carefully ignite it (be careful here; use a long match - I actually used a long bamboo skewer and lighted it with a fire-stick; then used it to light the alcohol).
3. Using a kitchen glove, *Shake the pan gently a few times to distribute the flame, and to allow it to burn out.
4. Replace the skillet over medium heat; add the cream and bring it to a boil, stirring or whisking constantly as you do so in order to blend in the scraps and bits of peppercorns that had been stuck to the bottom of the pan.
5. When the sauce is done, it should coat the back of a spoon (this may take about 5 minutes).
6. Add the remaining teaspoon of brandy; stir, taste; add more salt if necessary, then add the steak(s) back to the pan and spoon sauce over them (I was too busy to photograph this step)!

SERVE.

• *NOTE: Gently shaking the pan produced an awesome display of flaming brandy; but I was also too busy to photograph that scene!

Step 5: TIME TO EAT . . .

And eat I did! Tender London Broil au Poivre covered with a brandy-cream sauce. A side of carrots, mushrooms, and peas lightly sweetened with honey, and a nice glass of Natura Carmenere (a slightly fruity red wine from Chile'sValle de Colchagua that my daughter brought to me on her last visit).

Bon appétit

(I have prepared the nutritional values of this recipe to the best of my ability using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Analyzer. It should be noted that the while the calories per serving appear to be quite high, I actually had about a good 1/2 cup of au Poivre left over which I refrigerated for future usage).