Steak Diane

Pan Fried Beef Tenderloin Fillets with Lemon Butter Sauce

Aug 22, 2009 Jackie Milligan

Tender medallions of beef cook quickly in this simple and elegant recipe. Served with a sauce of lemon, butter and brandy it's an easy break from the every day meal.

In years past, Steak Diane was a favorite dish of every top restaurant. Being cooked at table side, the steak was quickly fried in butter and then flamed with brandy. The show was as much a reason for the popularity of the dish as was the tender meat and delicious sauce served with it.

Traditionally the dish has been made with beef tenderloin medallions or beef tournedos (a small steak cut from the center of the tenderloin). If you prefer, top sirloin steaks cut thinly can be substituted although some of the tenderness you get with tenderloin will be lost.

Steak Diane is not found in many restaurants these days but don't let that keep you from enjoying this simple and elegant dish at home.

The sauce that accompanies Steak Diane is made by adding brandy to the pan drippings and flaming it. It is a very light sauce and compliments the beef perfectly. Artichokes, green beans or asparagus are all excellent choices for a side dish.

Steak Diane:

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz filet medallions or thinly sliced top sirloin steak
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp diced shallots
  • 1 tbsp worcestershire
  • 1 tsp minced parsley
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 c slice crimini mushrooms
  • 3 tbsp cognac or brandy

Method:

  1. Melt butter in a pan over med high heat.
  2. Season steaks with salt and pepper
  3. When butter is melted, place steaks in pan cooking about 1 minute per side just to brown them
  4. Add shallots to pan and allow them to cook for about 2 minutes
  5. Remove steaks from pan and cover them to keep warm
  6. Place mushrooms in the pan with shallots and cook for another two minutes
  7. At this point, you can either add the brandy to the sauce, stir it and pour over steaks. If you want to flame the sauce,first place the steaks back into the pan. Add the brandy and shake the pan gently to mix with the butter, carefully ignite the brandy and let flame subside.

When the flame extinguishes, place the steaks on a serving platter and sprinkle with minced parsley.

Garlic mashed potatoes or seasoned noodles make an excellent accompaniment to Steak Diane.

The above recipe is for the classic version of Steak Diane. In the 80's, a version of the recipe made something of a comeback for a while but the sauce was much heavier and contained cream. If you would prefer not to use the lemon juice for Steak Diane, you may prefer the more modern version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • Omit the lemon juice from the above recipe
  • 1/2 tsp dijon style mustard
  • 1/2 c heavy cream
  • Use all other ingredients listed above

Method:

  1. Follow steps 1 through 6 above
  2. Whisk together the mustard and heavy cream
  3. Add to pan and stir for 1 minute
  4. Remove from heat
  5. Add brandy

Place steaks on a serving platter and pour sauce over them. Sprinkle with minced parsley.

The copyright of the article Steak Diane in Recipes is owned by Jackie Milligan. Permission to republish Steak Diane in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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