Total time for the sauce preparation is about 35 minutes plus about 5 minutes cool down once removed from the stove for 40 minutes total.  Use this approximation to gauge your other dishes, including cooking your tenderloin or ribeye steaks.

1. Melt butter in a heavy medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Add chopped shallots and saute until golden, about 5 minutes
2. Add brandy and bring to a boil
3. Add beef broth and boil mixture until total volume is reduced to 1 cup.  This can be about 15 minutes.
4. Once reduced, slightly reduce heat and add creme fraiche.  Bring back to a gentle boil to further reduce the liquid until you achieve the desired sauce thickness.  This can take 5 minutes or a bit longer, be patient at this point as this is where you achieve that wonderful thick texture.  Be careful to not have too much heat and too vigorous of a boil as the sauce can break (separate).  The reduction should be a very gentle boil.
5. Once desired consistency is achieved, add in the peppercorns and stir thoroughly, the sauce will take on an increasingly dark coloring.
6. Remove from heat and put in serving dish, where the sauce will thicken slighly as it cools

Serve over cooked steaks and mashed potatoes for a great meal!

Yield:  enough for 4 people, even with ample servings!

Wine suggestions for this sauce, with steaks, include bolder reds such as Kuhlman Cellars' Barranca, Astéries, Ignis and the Vina Vita Red Club Blend.