Steak Diane Is the Classic Steak Dinner You'll Fall in Love With

With its rich, creamy sauce and tender, quick-cooking meat, this retro recipe deserves a comeback. Tara Holland/TNS

There are endless versions and recipes for classic steak Diane, a dish of seared steak served with a rich, creamy, and flambéed pan sauce. Each calls for different cuts of steak, and some include button mushrooms. There are debates of scallions versus shallots, chives versus parsley, veal demi-glace versus beef stock, tomato paste or no tomato paste.

This recipe is my personal interpretation of steak Diane. I believe that as long as it includes a cut of steak and that the sauce consists of Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, a dash of heavy cream, and flambeed cognac, it falls under the steak Diane umbrella.

What Is Steak Diane?

Steak Diane is a dish that has been around for decades; some say a century. The origin of this dish has been claimed by many: Australia, Belgium, England, and the United States. However, according to an article from The New York Times archives published in 1979, the strongest claim has been staked by New York City’s Drake Hotel, where it used to be served table-side by the maitre'd for the theatrical effect of flambéing cognac. The steaks were flattened beforehand for tenderness and a faster cook time in the dining room.