Steak Diane is a rich cream-based steak sauce made in the pan with mushrooms, cognac, cream, beef stock, and shallots. It was a popular fine dining tableside preparation back in the 1940s to 1960s era, when fine dining meant “French/continental” and captains and lots of snootiness. The waiter would roll out a cart with all the components needed and prepare the dish right in front of you, as a show, with a final flourishing flambé that always got the attention of the room. It was like the OG Chili’s sizzling fajita.
How to make Steak Diane
Temper your steak and prep your aromatics and sauces.
Sear your steak on each side for 2 minutes, then transfer to a pre-heated 425ºF oven.
Make the pan sauce: add mushrooms and shallots, then butter, thyme, and garlic.
Add cognac. Flambé, if you want to (more on that below).
Add cream, Worcestershire, Dijon, and beef stock.
Top the steak with the sauce and enjoy!
Steak Diane still lets you demonstrate your steak skills – the salting, peppering, deep crusty sear, getting that steak done just right – while also showing off a little with a super fast, super rich, super tasty sauce that’s way more than the sum of its parts, all in the 6-8 minutes it takes to get a steak up to rare.
