Steak Diane – a succulent combination of pan-seared ribeye steak and creamy, savory sauce. It’s a beautiful presentation, and pairs perfectly with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Bacon Wilted Spinach. An amazingly delicious meal.
Steak Diane Recipe
Steak Diane
Equipment
- medium cast-iron skillet
- several ramekins
- oven mitts
- steak fork
- cutting board
- carving knife
- spatula
- gravy ladle
Ingredients
For Seasoning the Steak
- 16 ounce bone-in ribeye steak
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
For the Diane Sauce
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 small shallot – minced
- ¼ cup cognac or brandy
- ½ cup beef stock
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley – minced
- 1 tbsp fresh chives – minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper – finely ground
Instructions
Seasoning the Steak
- Place the steak into a shallow dish. Rub the steak with olive oil, then generously cover with kosher salt and cracked black pepper on all sides. Allow the steak to come up to room temperature.16 ounce bone-in ribeye steak, 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Cooking the Steak
- Place a medium skillet onto the center rack of the oven, and set the temperature to 500℉. Allow the oven to heat up with the skillet in the oven. Using oven mitts remove the hot skillet, then set over high heat on the stove top. Let the dry skillet continue to heat for another five minutes. The skillet should be smoking white hot.
- Place the steak in the center of the hot skillet. Press it down to make sure the meat has good contact with the hot iron. Allow the steak to sear for 1 full minute without moving before turning it over.
- Turn the steak over, and sear for 1 full minute more without moving.
- Carefully return the hot skillet and steak to the oven. Cook for 3 ½ minutes.
- Flip the steak over, and cook for 3 ½ minutes more.
- Remove the steak from the oven. It should be nicely seared, and cooked to medium-rare doneness.
- Remove the steak from the skillet, resting it covered in foil while you make the sauce.
Making the Sauce
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the still hot skillet, and allow it to melt.1 tbsp butter
- Add the minced shallot to the melted butter.1 small shallot
- Sauté the shallot in the melted butter until soft.
- Add the cognac to the center of the pan.1/4 cup cognac or brandy
- Use your spatula to scrape up the pan drippings (fond) from the pan while the cognac reduces.
- Allow the cognac to reduce by half.
- Add the beef stock, and incorporate it into the sauce. Allow the sauce to reduce by half again.1/2 cup beef stock
- Add the heavy cream to the sauce, and stir it in until fully incorporated.1/3 cup heavy cream
- Add the minced parsley and chives to the sauce.1 tbsp fresh parsley, 1 tbsp fresh chives
- Add the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire to the sauce.1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- Allow the sauce to reduce to a thick consistency. Add the salt and pepper to taste.1 pinch kosher salt, 1 pinch black pepper
- Carve the steak across the grain into ½ inch slices. Serve with a ladle of sauce poured over the top of the steak.
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
Sauce Diane is a classic London recipe, dating back to the 1930s. It is one of many European delicacies that encompass Continental Cuisine.
Selecting a Steak
Choose a well marbled ribeye steak. The steak should have ribbons of intramuscular fat running throughout the meat. This is the fat that is found between the muscle fibers. It is not the thick intermuscular fat that is found on the outside, or between the muscles of the meat.
Seasoning the Steak
For the best flavor, remove the steak from its packaging a day or two before cooking. Rinse it in cool water, and thoroughly dry with paper towels. Rub the steak in kosher salt, covering it completely. Set it in a shallow dish, uncovered in the refrigerator for a day or two. The salt and refrigerator will pull moisture from the meat, concentrating its beefy flavor. If you do this, do not add salt before cooking. Only add a light coating of olive oil and cracked black pepper.
Portion Size
This Steak Diane recipe is tuned to larger 12-16 ounce steaks. One large steak is usually enough to feed 2 people. If you are feeding more than 2, use a larger skillet so the steaks can cook without touching.
Searing the Steak
When cooking a Skillet Ribeye Steak, It is important to get the pan super-hot to properly sear the steak. The pan should also be dry. Do not add oil or butter to the pan before searing the steak. Try to get good contact between the meat and the pan. The salt and pepper will sear to the steak. Some of the juices and browned bits will stay in the pan after cooking. This is called the fond, and is an important part in flavoring Sauce Diane.
Cooking Time
If you choose a smaller steak, you will need to reduce the cooking time to avoid overcooking. If you are unsure, use a digital thermometer. A medium-rare steak should have an internal temperature of 135° F 57 ° C. A medium steak should have an internal temperature of 145° F 63 ° C.
Bone-in or Boneless?
I like to use bone-in steaks because the bone helps keep the meat from getting overcooked. My English Bulldog, Lucy loves gnawing the bone for a special treat. The choice of bone-in or bone-out is up to you.
Carving the steak
Make sure the steak has rested for 10 minutes before carving. Rest the steak under foil, and flip it once after 5 minutes. This will redistribute the juices through the steak, so that every bite will be succulent and delicious. If you carve the steak too soon, the juices will run out, drying out the meat.
First, run a sharp knife along the inside of the bone to carve it from the steak. Turn the steak so that the grain of the meat is running from left to right. Then carve the steak into ½ inch slices by pulling the knife across the grain. Carving the meat across the grain will result in shorter muscle fibers, which makes it easier to chew.
Choosing a Cognac
While the cognac does add flavor to Sauce Diane, its primary function is to deglaze the pan. Choose a cognac or brandy that tastes good, but don’t waste good VSOP or XO. It will quickly evaporate in the hot pan!
Pairings
This meal tastes amazing how I have it pictured here. Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Bacon Wilted Spinach complement perfectly. You can also include some French bread with Herbed Butter. The flavors in Steak Diane are bold. Choose a hearty red wine such as a Cabernet, Zinfandel, or Malbec that can stand up to the flavor intensity.
Related Recipes
Care to comment? I'd love to read it. Please be cool, respectful, relevant, positive or constructive, and leave an actual comment. Thanks!