Steak Diane

Valentine’s Day is not only the time to take your special someone out to a fancy dinner, it’s also to a time to try and make it yourself. There is something extra special about cooking dinner for your Valentine rather than going out. I think it’s a perfect gesture to show your love! 

But don’t think of this dish as just a date night recipe. It’s also perfect for birthdays, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, and so many more occasions. No matter when you’re cooking it, put in time and effort into this special dish and of course, love and care are extra ingredients that you won’t get in the restaurant.

What I have for you today is a classic restaurant dish: Steak Diane! I will teach you to make it at home and in under 30 minutes. Don’t miss the demo video as well, it’s quite helpful!

What Is Steak Diane?

This dish features pan-seared tenderloin steaks and a creamy pan sauce infused with cognac (or brandy). You may recognize this dish by the signature technique called “flambé,” which is when cognac (or brandy) is set aflame to cook out the alcohol. Additional sauce ingredients may vary but often include Worcestershire sauce, Dijon or gourmet mustard, heavy whipping cream, mushrooms, stock (or demiglace), and shallots.

While the origins are debatable, it appears that the dish Steak Diane is named after a celebrity or leading lady named Diana.

During the 1940s, this dish became popular in New York’s fine dining restaurants because of the show that this can put on. Flambéed dishes were (and still are) often prepared tableside, as a form of dinnertime entertainment. Think of dishes like Bananas Foster, Crepes Suzette, Cherries Jubilee, as well as several cocktails.

Filet mignon. While this is the traditional cut for this pan fried steak recipe, you can easily make it with any of your favorite cuts of beef.

Unsalted beef stock. Using unsalted stock will prevent the Diane sauce from being too salty. A low sodium version should work as well, but it’s always a good idea to taste everything before adding more salt.

Cognac. Using alcohol is necessary to create a flambé, and cognac also adds a rich flavor to the sauce. Note, that this technique does burn out most of the alcohol from the sauce. (If you have to skip the alcohol, simply make extra reduced beef stock.)

See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

1. 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.

2. 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.)

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.

3. Prepare the sauce.

Add butter to the pan and once melted, add and sauté the shallots and mushrooms until golden brown.

4. 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 (1).

Then, using a long match or lighter, ignite the cognac (2). 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.

5. 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 (3). Make sure the heat is set to medium or slightly lower and let the sauce gently simmer for a couple more minutes (4).

When sauce is done, pour it over the steaks and enjoy!

More Special Occasion Dinner Recipes

The thing is, you don’t need to spend a lot of money on ingredients or make an extravagant effort to cook something fancy. 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.

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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.