I used freeze dried green peppercorns, scallions, and madeira in lieu of black peppercorns, shallots, and brandy because that's what I had, but it still turned out fantastic. It's a different recipe, but it worked. I will also confess that I used undiluted Campbell's beef broth in place of the beef stock called for. Cheating? Absolutely! But delicious. I was throwing it together on the fly and had to improvise a bit, but it worked out. We always have to improvise. In a perfect world, I would have stocked my refrigerator with homemade beef stock or demiglaze, shallots, and brined green peppercons in place of my substitutes, but you can absolutely keep to the spirit of this recipe with what you have on hand. Keep in mind that if you are using a commercial beef broth, demiglace, or stock, it will absolutely have more salt than you expect, so taste and adjust before seasoning both the meat and the sauce. I found that the salt already present in the canned broth was plenty, and underseasoned my steak a bit so it wouldn't be too salty. Taste as you go.
