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Thin, tender filet mignon smothered in a creamy mushroom butter sauce. This is a classic high end steakhouse dish you can easily replicate at home. It’s luxurious and deeply craveable.
Why This Steak Diane Recipe Delivers
Bad Steak Diane is a waste of a good tenderloin. Most versions go wrong by failing to get a hard sear on the filet, undercooking the mushrooms, or leaving them so chunky that they end up wet and slimy. I take a few extra measures to build a deeply browned crust on the steak. Mushrooms are cut into a medium dice so they brown properly and integrate into the sauce. We’re also keeping the fat restrained so the sauce stays glossy and refined instead of turning gloppy and heavy like gravy. The result feels like something you’d order at a fancy restaurant with an expensive wine list, but it’s simple enough for just about any home cook to pull off.
Brian’s Pro Tips
Dry Steak + Hot Pan – Surface moisture is the enemy of browning. When I was a line cook, before I seared any meat I patted it dry with paper towel to prevent steam and splatter. Drying the meat well gives you a much deeper sear. The browning will happen faster, which is crucial for this thin steak which can overcook quickly.
Cook Mushrooms First – I like to cook the mushrooms before anything else because they need extra time to lose their moisture, get tender, and pick up a little browning. I DO NOT want any color on the shallot or garlic, so I hold those back until the mushrooms are mostly cooked. Then I add them, turn down the heat, and let them sweat gently until softened.
Start Flambé with Heat Off – To keep things safe, k!ll the heat under the pan right before cognac goes in. Then with your face safely back from pan area, you can turn heat back on and the cognac will most likely catch fire. If the cognac ignites and you’re comfortable letting it flambé, leave the pan uncovered until the flame dies out, which should take about 30 seconds. Otherwise, cover the pan with a lid for 15 to 20 seconds to smother the flame, then uncover it and continue cooking. Flambéing is fun, but it’s completely unnecessary for a tasty sauce.
Key Ingredient NOtes & Substitutions
These are some of the special ingredients and their substitutions I want to call out for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients and amounts, check the recipe card below.
Beef Tenderloin Filet
Filet is the perfect steak for this dish because not only is it super tender, it’s also quite lean, which makes it a perfect pairing for this rich butter cream sauce. For this dish make sure you buy a Filet thats at least 9-10 ounces (250 g).
Substitute with: Sirloin. It’s lean and has good beef flavor, but is tougher than filet. I recommend you jacquard it with a tool (like this one) or even a sharp fork to help tenderize the meat before cooking.
Mushrooms
I’m using cremini aka baby bella for this recipe. They have a nice texture and give you a bit of a meaty flavor when cooked. I medium-dice them which helps them integrate with the aromatics and sauce, so the whole thing coats the steak and eats as one cohesive dish. The thick slices that most other Steak Diane recipes use stand out too much texturally and leave you with a wet, disjointed eating experience if they’re undercooked.
Substitute with: Button mushrooms. Approachable and soak up the sauce flavor well.
Cognac – Cognac gives the sauce its warm, fruity, semi sweet flavor, but its kind of expensive.
Substitute with:
Brandy. It’s a good sub and usually costs less.
For an NA options, sub in apple juice or white grape juice, just use ⅓ the amount (40g rather than 125g)
Dijon Mustard – Dijon is not here to make the sauce taste mustardy. Its acidity and heat keep the cream and butter from feeling flat and heavy. It sharpens things up. Don’t skip it.
How to Make Steak Diane
Searing the Steaks & Mise En Place
- Portion and season the filet. Slice the 9-10 oz filet horizontally through its thickness into 2 roughly 4-5oz ounce “medallions.” Once cut, place the filets, one at a time, into a freezer bag, then gently pound each piece with a saucepan (4-5 times) Until they reach a rough 3/4-inch (20mm) thickness.
- Once pounded, season both sides generously with kosher salt and black pepper, then let the steaks sit while you prep the sauce ingredients.
Why pound the steak to 3/4 inch? The even thickness helps both medallions cook at the same rate, and the larger surface gives you more browned crust and more area for the sauce to grab.
- Prep the mushrooms, aromatics, and sauce ingredients. Medium-dice the 85g mushrooms, brunoise the 60g shallot, and mince the 10g garlic, 1g thyme, and 2g parsley. Measure the 125g cognac, 170g beef stock, 60g cream, 10g Worcestershire, 15g Dijon, and 30g butter before the skillet gets hot. Once the cooking starts, it moves fast, so you want to be prepared.
- Sear the steaks and let them rest. Heat a 10-inch stainless-steel skillet over high heat. If you’re new to searing steaks and you’re not sure when the pan is pre-heated, flick a small splash of water into the pan. When it beads up and skates across the surface, the pan is hot enough to start searing. Pour out any remaining water and add about 3 tablespoons neutral oil, and heat until the oil just begins to smoke.
- While the oil heats, pat the steaks VERY dry, lay them in the pan, and immediately press them down firmly for 15 to 20 seconds. Even better, use a meat press or small heavy sauce pan. Sear undisturbed for 90 to 120 seconds. Over high heat, this should be enough to develop a deep crust, but don’t wait around for perfect color. These steaks are thin and will overcook quickly, so time matters more.
- Flip the steaks and sear the second side for another 90 seconds, pressing again to maintain full contact with the pan. After 3 to 4 minutes total, transfer the medium-rare steaks to a plate and save every drop of their resting juices for the sauce.
How do I judge doneness on a steak this thin? I wouldn’t bother with internal temp because the steak is too thin to get a proper reading. For medium-rare, the steak should have a soft, gentle bounce when pressed, not firm resistance. As a rough reference, lightly touch your thumb and middle finger together, then press the fleshy pad at the base of your thumb. The steak should feel similarly springy.
Make The Diane Sauce
- Brown the mushrooms and soften the aromatics. Using tongs, carefully wipe out the skillet with a damp paper towel, then return it to medium/medium-high heat. Add 1-2 tbsp of oil, followed by the 85g diced mushrooms and a small pinch of salt. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have lost about half their moisture and developed some golden-brown color. You’re looking for light browning in spots, not a deep, dark sear.
- Next, reduce the heat to medium, add the 60g shallot, 5-8g garlic, and a tiny pinch of salt to help draw out moisture. Also add another tablespoon of oil here if the pan looks dry. Sweat for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until the aromatics are softened, translucent, and fragrant. If aromatics start to brown, add splash of water to cool off pan.
- Add Cognac and Reduce. Here’s where you’ll want to have a heat safe lid nearby. K!ll the heat and move the skillet away from the flame before adding the 125g cognac. Once off heat, add in the booze and relight your burner over medium to med high with your face well back. The cognac may ignite almost instantly and will take about 30 seconds to cook off. If you don’t want a three foot flame ripping through your kitchen, immediately cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 20 seconds. At that point most alcohol will be gone so the flame is no longer a risk. Once flabee’d cook until almost entirely evaporated, about 60 seconds more.
- Reduce the Sauce. Once the cognac has reduced until nearly dry, stir in the 175g beef stock, 15g Dijon, 60g cream, 10g Worcestershire and steak resting juices. Bring the sauce to a low boil and reduce for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently until a spatula dragged through the sauce leaves a lazy trail. Avoid a ripping high heat here because it can scorch the cream around the edges of your pan.
- Whisk in Butter. Once the cream mixture has reduced, lower heat to low, add the 30g butter, and whisk until fully emulsified. Remove the pan from the heat, add the 2g parsley and 1g thyme, and stir to combine. At this point the texture should be saucy and grip the back of a spoon nicely, BUT I would err on the side of making it a touch thin. The sauce will continue to tighten up as it sits.
What if my sauce is too thick? If your sauce is still too thick after melting in the butter, whisk in teaspoon of water to loosen it up a bit.
Finish and Serve
- Baste Steaks. Once the sauce is buttered up, taste it and add a medium pinch of salt (it will likely need some sparkle…). Snug the steaks into the sauce and baste by spooning sauce over them for 20 to 30 seconds. Don’t linger here. These thin steaks can go from medium-rare to medium-well relatively fast because they’re so thin. Warm them through then plate.
Storage & Make-Ahead
Steak Diane is best served the minute it’s finished, but…
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, but the filet will cook past medium-rare when reheated and the sauce will tighten as it sits.
Make-Ahead: For a head start, dice the mushrooms, shallot, garlic, thyme, and parsley up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them separately. You can also portion and pound the filet up to 24 hours ahead. Keep it covered and cold, then season it before cooking. Measure the sauce ingredients in advance, but wait to sear the steak, reduce the sauce, and mount in the butter until you’re ready to eat.
I don’t recommend freezing. The cream sauce can separate and the mushrooms go soft, while thawing and reheating takes the filet well past the doneness you worked for.
more of my restaurant dishes for home cooks:
- Steak Au Poivre – A similar style of restaurant inspired cooking with a more pepper-forward sauce
- Mussels in White Wine Sauce – A restaurant-worthy seafood dish at home.
- Chicken Piccata – An easy dinner that makes you feel like a chef.
- Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce – Pillowy potato gnocchi tossed in a rich, tangy cream sauce.
Steak Diane
Ingredients
For the Steak
- 9 oz center-cut beef tenderloin filet (filet mignon)
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- coarse kosher salt
- fresh-cracked black pepper
For the Diane Sauce
- 85 g cremini (baby bella )mushrooms, medium diced
- 60 g shallot, finely diced
- 8 g garlic, minced
- 125 g cognac or brandy
- 175 g beef stock
- 15 g Dijon mustard
- 10 g Worcestershire
- 60 g heavy cream
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 1 g fresh thyme, minced
- 2 g fresh parsley, minced
- neutral oil
Instructions
- Slice the filet horizontally into 2 thinner medallions. Pound each to an even 3/4-inch thickness, then season generously with salt and pepper. Rest while you prep the sauce ingredients.
- Medium dice mushrooms, finely dice shallot, and mince garlic, thyme, and parsley. Measure out remaining ingredients before you start cooking.
- Heat a 10 inch stainless steel skillet over medium high to high. It's hot enough when a bead of water will skate across the surface. Add about 3 tablespoons of oil. Pat the steaks VERY dry, then add them to the pan then sear for 90-120 seconds while pressing them down or weighing down with a meat press.
- Flip and sear another 90 seconds while pressing. Transfer to a plate. The steaks should be medium rare.
- Carefully wipe out the skillet with a damp paper towel. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons more oil, the diced mushrooms, and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned in spots and cooked down by about half.
- Add the minced shallot and garlic, another tablespoon of oil, and another small pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium/medium low and sweat for about 2-3 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Have a lid for the pan close by! Turn off heat under the pan and remove it from the burner. Add cognac. Return pan to the burner and relight the heat, keeping your face back! Let the flame die out OR cover the pan with its lid to smother the flame for 20 seconds. Remove the lid and continue cooking uncovered until nearly dry.
- Add beef stock, Dijon, cream, Worcestershire and any resting juices from the steaks. Boil over medium-high for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until a spatula dragged through the sauce leaves a lazy trail.
- Lower heat to low and whisk in butter.
- Off heat, stir in minced thyme and parsley. The sauce should grip the back of a spoon but remain slightly loose.
- Taste and adjust the salt. I recommend adding a pinch more at this point.
- Add the steaks and baste by 20-30 seconds by spooning sauce over them just to heat through.
- Serve immediately over mashed potatoes or angel hair pasta and a simple salad or veggie side.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Sirloin is lean enough to work with rich sauce, has nice beefy flavor, and costs roughly half as much. Choose a thicker piece and cut it into 4-5oz medallions, then lightly pierce it all over with a fork or jaccarding tool before pounding. That physically breaks up some of the tougher muscle fibers so it eats more tender like filet.
Yes, but the flavor will be different. Replace the cognac with 60g (1/4 cup) apple juice and reduce it until nearly dry before adding the stock. The apple juice provides fruitiness and sweetness, but it lacks the warm, aromatic edge of brandy.
Reduce the stock and cream base before you add the finishing butter, then lower the heat. Whisk the butter in just until it melts and turns the sauce glossy. If the sauce gets too hot or boils hard after the butter goes in, the fat can separate and leave you with a greasy result instead of a silky emulsion.
Yes, but don’t squeeze four medallions into a 10-inch skillet. Double the ingredients and use a 12-inch skillet or sear in two 10-inch pans
