Rich steak, enlivened with peppercorns and bathed in pan juices enriched with cream, just may be my favorite steak preparation. I’m not alone. Steak au poivre (pepper steak) has been revered for more than a century in France and beyond.

The cream and booze in the sauce sound old school, but few dishes have as much staying power as this classic.

Unlike other elaborate French preparations, the dish features a basic pan sauce — no long-simmering stocks or fancy emulsions required.

After searing the steaks, simply deglaze the pan juices with spirits and then soften the mixture with sweet shallots, cream and a bit of tangy Dijon.

Some recipes direct the cook to press crushed dried peppercorns into the surface of the uncooked steak.

Any mix of dried peppercorns works for this method: sharp black, earthy white, perfumey pink, even tongue-tingling Szechuan peppercorns.

Soft, mild-tasting green peppercorns starred in a memorable steak au poivre version enjoyed on our Belgian vacation. Green peppercorns are simply unripe peppercorns — they pack less heat and sport more vegetable flavor.

At home, I use green Madagascar peppercorns, packed in a salty brine and imported from France. Look for them in specialty markets and online.

Since these peppercorns are soft, I add them to the sauce rather than pressed into the steak.

A preheated pan is the key to success. A hot pan sears the steaks nicely and provides flavorful pan juices that become the base of the pan sauce.

Most of the year, we pan-sear the steak on the stovetop with the exhaust fan set on high.

For an outdoor feast, I set the cast-iron skillet over a hardwood fire in the grill. This adds a hint of smoke to the finished dish. A gas grill, outfitted with a foil packet of wood chips, works well, too.

Once the steak has seared in the pan on the grill, carefully transfer the pan to the stovetop. Move the steaks to a warm oven. Then, work over a burner to deglaze the steak drippings with a moderately priced brandy, dry red wine or dry port. A sensible amount of cream pulls the pan juices together.

This green peppercorn sauce proves a beautiful partner to roasted cauliflower; swap in vegetable broth to make this a meatless main dish.

Serve the steaks with a Little Gem lettuce salad topped with cherry tomatoes, blue cheese and chives. A red wine vinaigrette makes the perfect dressing.