Steak Diane

Have you ever eaten something so tasty that you literally wanted to lick the plate when you were finished?

Did you actually follow through and lick the plate?

Would you judge me if I confessed that I have?

On multiple occasions.

I admit it! I’ve licked my plate clean.

My mother made a chicken version of this dish when I was growing up and it was the first thing I ever tried to make on my own. I made it in my college dorm room for a group of boys before a cocktail party. I splattered oil on my dress.

Shocker.

I licked my plate clean as a child and in that dorm room in front of all of those boys.

This sauce is that tasty.

Even though my mom has made the chicken version for me no less than three hundred times, I had never had the steak version. I had seen it on menus at many delicious restaurants but was never bold enough to go for it.

Well, I finally bit the bullet and made it myself. And now I feel like a dunce for not eating it sooner because it’s every bit as good as its chicken friend.

You will need…

Four 6-ounce hanger steaks (Flat iron steaks)

Kosher salt and cracked black peppercorns

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 medium cremini mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick

2 small shallots, finely chopped

¼ cup brandy

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in ½-inch cubes

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Start by generously seasoning the steaks with salt and pepper and set them aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil until it just begins to smoke. Add the steaks and cook over high heat until the edges begin to brown, about 3 minutes.

Turn the steaks over and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until the steaks reach the desired doneness, about 3 minutes for medium rare. Transfer the steaks to a plate and cover with foil.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high.

Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are golden brown, about 4 minutes

Add the brandy and Worcestershire to the pan, whisking to remove the browned bits from the bottom. Turn the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time. (Or if you can't wait like me, 3 at a time.)

Once the butter has been incorporated, remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the parsley, lemon juice and mustard.

If the sauce begins to break, return the skillet to the stove over low heat and whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons of warm water to re-emulsify.

Return the steaks to the skillet and rewarm over low heat for 1 minute.

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board. Thinly slice the steaks and divide among 4 plates.

Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve immediately.

Plate licking good.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela