Steak Diane
Restaurants back in the 70s’ and 80s’ were making a lot of dishes at the table;Caesar Salad, Saganaki Opa, Steak Tartare, Sole Meunière, Chateaubriand (carved), Steak Diane, Steak au Poivre (Steak with Peppercorn Sauce), Raclette & Fondue Bourguignonne, Crêpe Suzette, Bananas Foster, Cherries Jubilee, Baked Alaska, Spanish Coffee and Irish Coffee. This was quite entertaining on its own.
I always enjoyed having someone make something in front of me. As I mentioned many times to my husband, – “if I ever open a restaurant, these tableside dishes, desserts and drinks would be made in front of the patrons”. It’s not totally “old fashioned” because these days, Guacamole is prepared at the table and Brazilian Steakhouses are very popular…
There’s a dish that I had back in the 80s’ that was so delicious. As soon as I figured out all the ingredients, I was making it at home. At first, it wasn’t where I wanted it to be but as they say “practice makes perfect” and after many tries, I finally got it! Here’s my Steak Diane!
This is totally an “OMG”! The sauce is rich, creamy and flavorful. I like to use beef tenderloin and after seasoning and searing the filets to our liking (medium-rare), the rest is all about the sauce. Half way through making it, there’s some Cognac added and after a couple of seconds which is enough to warm up the alcohol, we ignite it; what a great flambé show for your guests!
Before even thinking about making this Steak Diane dish, there’s an important step which is making an Espagnole Sauce, one of the 5 French Classic Mother Sauces. Years ago, I shared Basic Brown Sauce with you. Now by adding tomato paste to it, it becomes an Espagnole Sauce.
As you know, each Mother Sauce has secondary sauces and one of them from the Espagnole is Demi-Glace. Can you buy it instead of making it from scratch? Of course but my version is a delicious shortcut that will save you a full day in making it. Eventually, I will show how to make it the way the “professional chefs” do it but be prepared, it’s a long haul…
I love my version of Steak Diane! It’s very elegant and so tasty. This is an amazing recipe to make when you’re entertaining – the flambé show is such a “wow” factor! – or simply when you want to treat yourself for a special occasion. Just a little “behind the scenes info”; this dish was made and filmed back in April on my birthday during the Covid-19 pandemic. As you know we couldn’t go out, restaurants were closed so I made this to highlight my day…
Bon Appétit!
Check out these other flavorful classic recipes…
– Steak Tartare
– Oysters Rockefeller
– Coq au Vin
– Veal Ossobuco
– Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise
– Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Bourguignon)
– 3 Cheese Chicken Parmesan
– Coquilles St Jacques
and for even more beef recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • Beef
Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel by clicking on this link… Club Foody YouTube
Steak Diane
Hover to scale
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, divided tips & tricks
- 2 tbsp. clarified butter
- 2 large filet mignon (about 4 to 6 ounces each)
- ground Himalayan sea salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/4 cup shallots, minced
- 4 ounces Oyster or Shiitake mushrooms, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup Cognac (substitute Brandy)
- 1/2 cup demi-glace see Recipe
- 1/4 cup 35% heavy cream
- 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp. hot sauce
- 1 tbsp. chives, chopped tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. parsley, chopped tips & tricks
Directions
- Pat dry the filets with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
- In a large cast iron skillet over high heat, add oil and butter. When hot, add the steaks and cook until browned turning only once, about 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side for medium-rare (*see footnote). Transfer them to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
- In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium, add garlic and shallots; sauté for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper; stir well and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in Cognac, wait 2 seconds and then ignite; cook until the flame dies down. Add demi-glace, heavy cream, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce; stir well and cook for 3 minutes.
- Return the filet mignon to the skillet including the accumulated juices and spoon the mushroom sauce over to warm them up. After about 1 ½ minutes, transfer the steak to a couple of warm serving plates while finishing the sauce.
- Add chives and parsley to the sauce; stir quickly and then pour the sauce over the steaks.
Notes
Don't forget to rate and comment on this recipe!
