A STEAK TO FALL IN LOVE WITH
There are endless versions and recipes for classic steak Diane — the dish of seared steak served with a rich, creamy and flambeed pan sauce. Each calls for different cuts of steak and some include button mushrooms.
There are debates of scallions versus shallots, chives versus parsley, veal demiglace versus beef stock, tomato paste or no tomato paste — the mind-boggling choices are endless.
This recipe is my personal interpretation of steak Diane. I believe that as long as it includes a cut of steak and that the sauce consists of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, a dash of heavy cream and flambeed cognac, it falls under the steak Diane umbrella.
Steak Diane is a dish that has been around for decades; some say a century. The origin of this dish has been claimed by many: Australia, Belgium, England and the United States.
However, according to an article from the New York Times archives published in 1979, the strongest claim has been staked by New York City’s Drake Hotel, where it used to be served table-side by the maitre d’ for the theatrical effect of flambeing cognac. The steaks were flattened beforehand to create tenderness and a faster cook time in the dining room.
Some say the dish is named after the Roman goddess Diana, the huntress of wild animals, or after a female British aristocrat in the 1930s. Others say it evolved from a venison dish created as far back as 1914. I say, whatever the historical truth is, it’s delicious.
My recipe pays homage to my British roots and how I remember steak Diane when I was growing up. For me, it always included mushrooms. Inspired by Gordon Ramsay, I have swapped out button mushrooms for cremini for an extra umami kick. Plus, I included a little tomato paste to add a slight sweetness and depth. I used beef tenderloin and flattened it with a rolling pin to about 1-inch thick for melt-in-the-mouth tenderness and a quick sear.
However, if your purse strings can’t stretch to that luxury, a slightly cheaper cut like sirloin or rib-eye also works perfectly well; it will just need a few more minutes in the skillet.