Considered a signature entree at Manhattan’s beloved Drake Hotel, Steak Diane is widely attributed to Beniamino Schiavon, the Drake’s maître d’hôtel from 1942 to 1967. The hitch? Schiavon probably invented the sirloin’s flambéed cream sauce in collaboration with chef Luigi Quaglino during the 1930s, when the two worked together in Belgium. And though many assume the name references the Roman goddess of the hunt, The New York Times, in its 1968 obituary of Schiavon, described the titular Diane only as a “beauty of the 1920s.” SAVEUR’s take on the steak, originally published in March 1997, upgrades the beef from the Drake’s original sirloin to tender filet mignon.
Featured in: “Cook a Swanky Steakhouse Dinner at Home with These Old-School Recipes,” by Anna Hirschorn.
Yield: 4 Time: 35 minutes Four 4-oz. filet mignon steaks Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1½ cups beef stock 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped (about 2 tsp.) 1 medium shallot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup) 4 oz. oyster or hen-of-the-woods mushrooms, torn into small pieces (about 2 cups) 1⁄4 cup cognac 1⁄4 cup heavy cream 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1⁄4 tsp. Tabasco sauce 1 Tbsp. finely chopped chives 1 Tbsp. finely chopped Italian
