The Best Cut Of Meat To Use For Steak Diane
Retro dining classics are an intriguing mix of nostalgia, comfort, and sometimes spectacle. You may not have seen steak Diane prepared by a waiter (yet!), but tableside cooking is definitely making a comeback, as we saw in the list of last year's best food trends. The dish is essentially a mouthwatering pan sauce created at the table and originally designed to highlight medallions of filet mignon, which is fork-tender but not as flavorful as other steaks. That's okay because the buttery mushroom and cognac sauce is supposed to be the star of the show –- but what if you prefer a less pricey steak or even a tastier one?
Some steaks are more popular than others based on flavor, tenderness, and cost. If you've got steak Diane on the menu, there are lots of cuts to consider, each with pros and cons. The traditional choice for this recipe is beef tenderloin, which has no tough gristle and is relatively low in fat, allowing the rich sauce to shine as intended. Although there are no wrong steaks, choosing a different cut with similar properties would be the best substitution if you want to change it up.
Choosing the right steak for a rich sauce
The strategy for selecting the right alternate steak hinges on your taste. If you like a thicker cut that's easy to keep in the mid-rare, pink range, a leaner top sirloin cut might be just the right choice. New York strip steak would also make a great choice. Both of these steaks are flavorful and not too tough, and most of the visible fat can be trimmed to avoid having too much beef fat competing with the rich sauce. You can present these finished steaks whole on the plate, just like a filet medallion.
Another set of options comes from the plate and flank areas –- skirt, hanger, or flank steak, which are all very flavorful and have almost no tendon or fatty edges. These thinner steaks can still be cooked to a specific temperature, but to ensure a tender bite, they should be sliced across the grain for serving. The end plating of your steak Diane will look a little different, but you'll still have a delicious cut of beef to show off the flavors of the sauce.