Steak Diane for Two
By Mark Bittman
- Yield 2 servings
- Time 20 minutes
- Though you can follow this procedure with almost any tender cut of beef (and with chicken breasts, if that direction appeals to you), it's a perfect treatment for tenderloin medallions (filet mignon).
Ingredients
- 2 (6-ounce) beef fillets, cut from the tenderloin (filet mignon), preferably not too lean
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot or onion
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- Lemon juice, to taste (optional)
- Chopped fresh chives or parsley leaves, for garnish
Preparation
- Flatten fillets a bit with the palm of your hand, the back of a skillet or a small mallet; they should be about 1-inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and a lot of pepper. In small skillet, preferably one just large enough to hold fillets, combine oil and tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. When butter foam melts, sear steaks on both sides, just until browned, no more than 2 minutes a side. Remove to platter.
- Wipe pan clean with towel; add remaining butter over medium heat, with shallot or onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire and cream. Add some salt and a fair amount of pepper. Stir once or twice, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- Keeping mixture at a steady simmer, return meat and accumulated juices to pan. Cook, turning two or three times, until meat is done to your liking (125 degrees internal temperature for medium-rare). Remove to a plate, and add lemon juice, if using, salt and pepper to the sauce as needed. Spoon sauce over meat, garnish with chives or parsley, and serve.
