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Sink your teeth into succulent Steak Diane. Fillet steak cooked to your own doneness and served with a luxurious sauce of fruity brandy, sweet shallots, wholegrain mustard and velvety cream. Treat yourself to this retro classic!

There are plenty of sauces for steak to choose from; bearnaise, peppercorn, mushroom marsala, or if you’re dairy-free, and this is my favourite, a herb-heavy, citrus-fresh Sicilian salmoriglio.

Steak Diane on a plate with fries and creamy sauce

I’m not saying I’m saving species from extinction here, but I do feel a certain responsibility for reviving retro recipes that are in danger of falling off the world’s menu! I mean, what a shame it would be if future generations missed out on such archival, culinary treasures as Waldorf Salad, Turkey a lá King, Salisbury Steak and Tater Tot Casserole?

OK, Tater Tot Casserole might not be going anywhere.

But in any case, Steak Diane, a gastronomic classic from the mid-century (that’s last century, Gen Z-ers), is being brought back from the dusty dining halls of yore for a second serving.

What is steak Diane?

One of the most dramatic dishes you could order in a restaurant circa the 1950s, steak Diane was fillet steak cooked tableside and finished with a theatrical brandy flambé sauce. Given the health and safety of today, it’s no wonder establishments are reluctant to offer the experience!

However, the simple sauce is easy enough to recreate at home, albeit without the fiery flames. The few defining characteristics are:

The sauce is made in the pan the steak was fried in. Thus, making use of the unctuous butter and beef fat.
A painstakingly slow reduction of brandy and then beef stock form the base of the sauce.
It’s flavoured further with a punchy combo of This is an affiliate link.Worcestershire sauce, mustard and tomato paste.
And finished with decadently weighty heavy (double (UK)) cream.

With all the contrasting flavours, it might be hard to imagine how they harmonise, but they do! It’s at once subtle with orchard fruits and heady oak (that’s the brandy), earthy (beef), tangy and salty (Worcestershire sauce and mustard) and mild and creamy (you know this one). It’s this ingeniously mastered balance that makes it so delectable.

Variations can include the use of shallots and garlic. I find this sweetens the sauce and gives texture, so they go into my version. And I’ve also added thyme, because I’m a herb enthusiast! Some recipes even call for sautéing mushrooms, but I prefer a finer-grained consistency.

Yes, so, who’s Diane? It’s a bit of a tenuous link, in my opinion, but the sauce takes its name from Diana, the Roman Goddess of the hunt. The hunt suggesting game meats; venison, pheasant and er… beef? Hence, steak Diane. Nope? Me neither.

Steak Diane fillets in a cast iron pan with a spoon

Recipe tips and notes

There are two rules for treating steak right and they both involve resting. Lucky steak!
Rule one: remove the steak from the fridge 20 -30 minutes before cooking. Cooking at meat at room temperature results in an even cook that is tender not tough.
Rule two: rest the steak after cooking. Resting meat (5 mins for steak) allows the juices to redistribute before being cut into. Neglecting this rule will result in a wet (perhaps bloody) puddle on the plate.
If you don’t cook with alcohol, just skip the spirit. There’s no need to substitute.
Take your time over the sauce Diane. Be patient allowing the brandy to reduce, the beef broth to reduce, and lastly, add the cream.
Warning: heating cream to boiling will see it split. Make sure it’s added off the heat.
There’s no thickener in this sauce recipe, the desired consistency is silky and fluid- not gloopy. The heavy cream (double (UK)) will naturally thicken thanks to the fat content.

Process shots of steaks fillets and cream sauce being cooked

Serving suggestions

I’m not all that fancy. I’m a steak and chips girl to the core! And this steak recipe goes best with thick cut chips. I’m 100% a fries fan too, but those spindly sticks have no place on the plate here- they’ll be overshadowed by the sumptuous sauce and made soggy by the juicy slab of beef.

Equally robust potato offerings, if you’re looking to impress, are golden and crispy Parmesan-crusted potatoes, hasselback potatoes (whose cleverly crafted ridges are perfect sauce-catchers), or oven-fried potatoes with mushrooms and onions.

With a creamy sauce, like sauce Diane, I go for cooked vegetables (as opposed to salads). I’ll try and keep to what’s in season at the time, so it could be any of the following: garlic butter sautéed cauliflower, roasted asparagus with radishes, or lemon butter green beans.

If you’ve a heartier appetite and enjoy melted cheese with your steak, macaroni cheese or cauliflower gratin are safe bets that won’t eclipse the special sauce.

Storage and leftovers

Who is leaving fillet steak?? No-one. The steak sauce, however…its rich and creamy nature means a little goes a long way. I usually have leftovers. If the sauce is still separate from the steak, it will keep in a jar in the fridge for 2-3 days.

If you’re fresh out of filet mignon, the leftover sauce will quite nicely settle for chicken thighs or pork chops. Or stir it into a chicken casserole or beefy pie for some added oomph.