Steak Diane

August in Embro's/A time to remember

The best of all Festival fringes/So rich that the visitor cringes, or goes off his hinges

An absolute plethora/You'll gasp for breath/Or abandon the game

But don't worry - each year it's exactly the same

Words by J O Drife

Every year at Festival time here in Edinburgh I recall this snippet from a revue some fifty years ago written by the very talented Jim Drife and performed by the Abracadabarets. (In those days the festival was in September - I've altered the month for accuracy, but it does spoil the metre.)

It is harsh but true, and that is my dubious justification for giving you another retro dish, one which you might have seen being cooked table side in flashy places when that show was being performed. It's in the league of Crêpes Suzette for sheer swank. It too involves a spectacular flambé, but if cooking it at home, you are safer to bubble off the alcohol rather than to ignite it.

Sauce a la Diane is a highly peppered sauce with cream and truffles which was originally served with game in homage to Roman goddess Diana (the huntress). There are various claimants for the origins of today's dish, including Quaglino's and Tony's Grill in London, and Drake's Hotel in New York. Its fame quickly spread world wide, probably reaching its peak in the 1960s.

It is a very fine dish. The recipes which I have found talk about cooking the steaks first, keeping them warm then doing the rest. Yes, you have the juices in the pan, but that just doesn't work table side. The total cooking time should be no more than five minutes. That's why you need your shallot to be as finely diced as possible and the steak to be very thin. Yes, fillet is expensive, but you can get away with quite small ones as you are flattening them out. Many recipes omit the mushrooms. Some call for beef stock. I've never seen the need for it. It is essential to use double cream. Single will split when you boil it. The quantity is up to you, depending how runny you like your sauce. About 60 - 80ml should be about right.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 small fillet steaks; 1 small shallot, very finely diced; 1 clove of garlic, crushed; 3 or 4 button mushrooms very finely diced; about 60ml brandy (don't use the good stuff); double cream (quantity up to you); Dijon mustard; Worcester sauce; olive oil; butter; s & p.

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Gently flatten the steaks to a thickness of about 1cm. Spread one side of each with the mustard. In a mixture of oil and butter soften the shallots with the garlic. Season with s & p.

Add some more butter, increase the heat and chuck in the mushrooms. Stir so they are all coated with butter. Put the veg to one side of the pan to make room for the steak. Sear on each side, and season with Worcester sauce. Add the brandy and either flambé or let it bubble for a minute or so.

Spread the mushrooms and onions evenly around the meat. Add the cream. The pan should be at a high heat and the cream should bubble. Turn the steak once, The sauce should have reduced to a quite thick consistency. Check the seasoning - you may want some more Worcester sauce.

Serve immediately. I like to have this with cubes of crispy potato and whatever green veg takes the fancy.