Rib Eye Steaks with Mushroom Diane Sauce

Indoor steaks cooked stove-top.

Steak Diane is credited due to the table-side service that was so popular in dining rooms long ago. It is just as impressive to watch it being prepared as it is to eat. Simply put: It is a steak pounded thin (so that it cooks rapidly), quickly sautéed in butter and prepared with a sauce from the pan juices. Normally the sauce is flambéed with brandy or Madeira and poured over the steak right at table-side.

Today, diane-style has come to mean sautéing thinly sliced or pounded steaks, normally filet mignon, in butter, then flambéing and basting it in a rich Cognac sauce. Many versions use heavy cream as a base. I prefer the natural pan juices from the steaks along with a rich beef stock. And instead of a Cognac mustard undertone, I tend to prefer the sweetness of Teriyaki with Sherry; as well as the tingling of capers and red tomatoes that add another exciting element.

There are now countless versions of Steak Diane out there. Steak Diane was invented, or so it is said, at the Drake Hotel in New York City by a chef nicknamed "Nino." Chicago Tribune's Mary Meade, the pen name for food editor Ruth Ellen Church, made mention of Nino in a 1957 column which offered a very plain Steak Diane that called for steak, butter, dry mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and chives. Since then, countless attempts and variations of Steak Diane go and come much as recipes do. Ever so in demand during the middle of the 20th century, it was considered too dated by 1980 and removed from many menus. Today, because of a resurgence in popularity, it is making a comeback, with changes of course, as most recipes do.

This is my take, enjoy!

Rib-Eyes with Mushroom Diane Sauce

2 servings

2 -1 inch thick rib eye steaks, trimed
freshly grind black peppercorns
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon extra-light olive oil

for the Mushroom Diane Sauce:
1 - 10.5 oz Campbell's condensed beef broth
1/2 cup medium-dry Sherry
3 tablespoons low-sodium Teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon low-sodium Worcestershire
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
8 ounce mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon super nonpareille capers, drained
3 Campari tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, if desired

Season the steaks on both sides with ground black peppercorns. Allow to rest at room temperature for about an hour.

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, add beef broth and simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup.

Meanwhile, in a heavy wide skillet, add the olive oil and half of the butter over medium high heat. When oil simmers, add steaks cooking 3 minutes per side. Remove to a warm platter, tent with foil and place in a warm area near stove-top. Add remaining butter to skillet and when melted, add garlic and red pepper flakes cooking until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, the reduced beef broth and the teriyaki sauce. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender. Using a slotted spoon, transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.

Increase heat for the skillet and boil mixture until liquid is reduced to a thick glaze. Return steaks to pan along with any juices and cook for about 5 minutes or until internal temperature is 135 degrees F. Add mushrooms, the capers and tomatoes to skillet and stir to combine into the sauce. Stir in parsley if desired.

Plate steaks and divide sauce among the two rib-eyes heaping it on top of each steak. Divine!

Note: If cooking for 4, skip the reduction of the beef broth but whisk in a teaspoon of cornstarch before adding it into the final cooking stage. Double the mushrooms.