Remove the steak from the fridge and let it come back to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Place the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, working them until they have all cracked but not ground. Sprinkle the steak on all sides with the cracked pepper and salt. Let rest for an hour or so.

Take the fennel bulb and cut off the stems. Cut it vertically into quarters and slice off the base from each quarter. Slice each quarter thinly from top to bottom so you end up with thin strips.

In a small skillet or sauté pan, melt a good knob of butter in a drizzle of olive oil, then add the shallot and let it sauté gently for a minute or so. Add the fennel, along with a few drops of water into the pan. Cover and simmer very gently until the fennel is just tender, about 2-3 minutes. Uncover and if there's any residual liquid, raise the heat and cook it off, taking care not to brown the fennel at all. Remove from the heat and set the fennel aside.

Heat a skillet (preferably of carbon steel) over a lively flame until quite not but not yet smoking. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the garlic clove. Let the garlic sauté just until it begins to brown, then remove it.

Now add the steak. Sear on both sides, until nice and golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. (If you have an extra thick steak you can also briefly sear the sides.) Remove the steak and let it rest for about 5 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.

While the steak is resting, deglaze the skillet with the wine or brandy. Lower the heat and add the fennel, along with the gorgonzola. Simmer very gently until the gorgonzola has melted into a creamy sauce. Turn off the heat.

Uncover the steak and slice it crosswise on a slight angle. Lay out on a serving plate, arrange the fennel around the slices and top with the sauce.

Serve immediately, if you like sprinkled with additional cracked pepper to lean into the spice and minced parsley for color.