Au Poivre is French. Translated literally, it means peppercorn sauce. An example of au poivre would be steak rubbed with freshly cracked black peppercorns and then added to a cast iron skillet to sear, which is called steak au poivre. The pan sauce that is au poivre is complex in its flavor profile, but ridiculously easy to achieve with only seven ingredients, chief among them being Cognac. This recipe for Sauce Au Poivre ( recette sauce au poivre ), is a 15 minute mind blowing bite of deliciousness.