Irene’s favorite dish, I make it on her birthday as the house rule is the birthday person gets to pick the meals. It’s a neat dish, with the flambéing and the extensive mis-en-place required.
Steak Diane
Thin medallions of filet mignon sautéed in butter and then flambéed and basted it in a rich creamy Cognac mushroom sauce.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Meat Hammer
- Many mis-en-place bowls
Ingredients
Meat
- 2 lbs beef tenderloin Cut in eight 4 oz medallions, pounded flat to ¼"
- 2 tsp koshering salt
- 2 tsp black pepper fresh ground
Sautée Meat
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter unsalted
Sauce Base Ingredients
- ⅓ cup shallots minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups button mushrooms thinly sliced (I like using Cremini mushrooms)
Flambé
- 1 cup Cognac
Cream Sauce Mixture
- ⅙ cup Dijon mustard
- 1 cup heavy cream
Umami Sauce Mixture
- 1 cup veal demiglace reduced strong beef stock works too, and chicken stock makes the sauce lighter
- ⅙ cup Worcestershire sauce only Lea & Perrins will do
- ¼ cup scallions You can substitute green onions or spring onions
- 4 tsp flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp hot sauce Tabasco, Frank's or such
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp curly parsley chopped
Instructions
- Cut the steak in medallions, hammer flat, sprinkle both sides with salt and black pepper, and set aside.Clean, wash, and prep all ingredients, and combine in bowls for each of the steps for the sauce: Cognac, Cream Sauce Mixture, Umami Sauce Mixture, Seasonings, and set them out in the order you'll use them.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, then melt the butter into the olive oil.Cook the meat over high heat until lightly browned on the bottom, about 1 minute.Turn the medallions and cook for 45 seconds longer, then transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
- Add the shallot and garlic to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the heat.Add the Cognac.Tilt the pan away from over the flame and pull it back over the flame until the alcohol ignites.Hold the pan horizontally and gently shake it until all the alcohol has burned off and the flames died down.
- Add the mustard and cream.Stir over moderate heat for 1 minute.Whisk in the veal demiglace, Worcestershire sauce, scallions, parsley, and hot sauce.Season with salt, black pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
- Add the meat and any accumulated juices to the saucepan and turn to coat.Simmer until heated through, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the meat to plates, spoon the sauce on top and serve.
