Steak Diane

This is one of the dishes that I’ve been cooking for my husband since we were dating. (First time I made it in college, I had a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.) Today, I will teach you to make it at home and in under 30 minutes. Oh, and don’t miss the demo video as well, it’s quite helpful!

Steak Diane is an extra special dinner that is perfect for special occasions like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and so many more. Rather than going out, cooking dinner at home is a perfect gesture to show your love! 

What Is the Flambé Cooking Technique and Safety Tips

This cooking technique of infusing the sauce with rich liquor or liqueur essence but burning out the alcohol. The technique involves pouring alcohol over food and then igniting it. The alcohol burns out as the flames die out. The French term flambé translates in English to “flaming” or “flamed.”

Several types of pure liquor or liqueur can be used, but cognac, brandy, bourbon, or rum are most common. Due to the high heat of live fire, the alcohol is burned off leaving only the flavor behind.

While this is quite an impressive technique to show off your family and friends, make sure to follow the safety precautions like:

• Check the proof on the liquor and don’t flambé anything over 100 proof.
• Never pour the liquor out of the bottle! Always measure out what you need into a separate dish.
• Take a step back, don’t stand right over or next to the pan.
• Always, take the pan off the heat, or turn off the burner if using a gas stove.
• Use a long match or a long lighter to ignite the alcohol.
• Ignite the fumes near the edge of the pan, not the liquid itself.
• Don’t carry or touch the pan while the flames are still present.
• Don’t preform flambé next to something that is highly flammable.
• Have a metal lid close by in case you need to extinguish the flame quickly.

How To Make Steak Diane

• Make a beef stock reduction first: A reduction is a culinary term describing the process of allowing water to evaporate from a liquid. This creates a concentrated, rich flavor that enhances the overall dish. 
• Ideally, you would do this after cooking the meat so the drippings can flavor the stock. However, doing it this way will cause the steaks to be cold when the sauce is done. For this reason, I recommend reducing the liquid first.

• Sear the filet mignon: To form a nice outer crust on the beef, it’s important to use a skillet that holds heat well and also cooks evenly. Cast iron is a great choice, but any heavy-bottomed skillet will work.
• TIP: Be sure that the skillet is preheated for a few minutes until it’s hot and your steaks are at room temperature before placing them inside. If the meat is still cold the connective tissue will seize up, causing the meat to be tough and chewy.
• (Alternatively, you could cook steaks in the oven, or even grill them. Use my tips on how to grill the perfect steak. You can also read my guide on how to cook filet mignon if you have more questions.)
• After cooking the steaks for a couple of minutes on each side, set them aside to rest and take off the string tied around each filet.

• Prepare the sauce: Add butter to the pan and once melted, add and sauté the shallots and mushrooms until golden brown.
• Flambé (Make sure to read above safety precautions!)Please be very careful with this step and read the highlighted safety precautions above! Remember that you are dealing with liquid that is on fire.
• First, remove the pan from the burner or turn off your burner if using a gas stove! It’s important that it be off of the heat before you pour the cognac into the pan.
• Then, using a long match or lighter, ignite the cognac. Do NOT shake, move, or swirl the pan until you see that the flames are mostly gone or completely gone. Otherwise, things can get dangerous and out of hand quickly!
• Don’t worry, once the alcohol cooks out, then the fire will go out on its own. Bring the pan back to the stove once the flames have died down, or turn the heat back on the stove.

• Finish and serve: Pour in reduced beef stock, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and some salt and pepper. Stir well and stir in the heavy cream. Make sure the heat is set to medium or slightly lower and let the sauce gently simmer for a couple more minutes.

What to serve with Steak Diane?

Served at the restaurant, you will usually see some form of potatoes and vegetables with this filet. Mashed potatoes make a great pairing with the steaks but you can also opt for roasted potatoes. If you want something lighter, try mashed cauliflower.

As far as vegetables, you can serve your favorite sautéed or roasted vegetables like haricots verts, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, carrots, and many others.

More Special Occasion Dinner Recipes

Dishes like coq au vin, beef bourguignon, lamb chops, and even steaks with mushrooms and onions sound fancy, but are actually simple to make!

If you want seafood, try my Salmon Florentine, Lobster Tails, or Crispy Skin Salmon. All are easy and quite special.

Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles on March 24, 2012.