Steak Diane is believed to have originated in ancient Rome as a venison dish to honor Diana, the goddess of the hunt. It was revived in the 1960's by Craig Claiborne with a boozy cream sauce spooned over pan-fried filet mignon or tenderized steak. The only tricky part to this recipe is flambéing the Cognac, but if you tilt the pan away from yourself when igniting it, you'll avoid singed eyebrows.

See Also

Herb-Crusted Venison Filets with Horseradish Sauce

Venison Osso Buco

Venison Chili

Ingredients

• 1 pound venison loin, cut into 4 medallions
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 shallots, very thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 brown or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons Cognac
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4

Preparation

1. Pat the venison dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil with 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the venison, 3 minutes each side. Transfer to a plate and loosely tent with aluminum foil.
2. Melt 1 more tablespoon butter in the hot pan, and add the shallots, followed by the mushrooms. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Crush the garlic clove over the vegetables, and stir, cooking as the shallots and mushrooms soften and turn golden.

1. Stir in the Worcestershire, then add the mustard, cooking 30 seconds.
2. To flambé: Remove the pan from the burner, and pour in the Cognac. Tilt the pan away from you and light with a long kitchen match, taking care to stand back as the alcohol ignites. When the blue flames have completely disappeared, pour in the cream, and put the pan back on the burner.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, continually moving everything in the pan. You want the cream to take on the color of milky coffee. Sprinkle the parsley over the sauce and swirl to combine.
4. Return the venison to the pan, pouring in accumulated juices, and use tongs to quickly turn and coat the medallions, about 1 minute for each side. Serve with the sauce spooned over the venison.