Lost Dishes: Mayfair Room

Mayfair Room: Steak Diane

Steak Diane was a Mayfair Room specialty. Named after the Goddess of the Hunt, the prime sirloin cut was described on the menu as seared and sautéed in butter, along with shallots and mushrooms. Then the whole entrée was flamed with brandy.

According to Marian O’Brien, St. Louis Globe-Democrat food editor of the time, "There sometimes is so much brandy aflame in the Mayfair Room that one can’t help but hope that it won’t get out of hand!"


Brown on one side	Steak Diane

Steak Diane

Source: Better Homes and Gardens: Famous Foods and Famous Places, 1964

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

1 10-oz sirloin steak, about 1 in thick
Butter
2 dry shallots, finely chopped or 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
4 fresh mushroom caps, sliced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp brandy

Preparation

Trim almost all the fat from steak. Preheat a skillet or blazer pan of chafing dish until hot enough to sizzle a drop of water. Add just enough butter to prevent sticking. Brown the steak quickly on one side, about 1 minute. Reduce heat. Add shallots and sliced mushrooms; cook 2 minutes. Turn; cook over medium heat about 6 minutes longer or to desired degree of doneness. Add Worcestershire and brandy.

To ignite sauce, pull blazer pan to edge of chafing dish flame and tilt slightly away from you, or light with a match. Slide the pan back and forth while blazing to blend the sauce well. When flame is about extinguished, remove meat to a heated plate and spoon sauce (or drippings) over steak. Garnish with water cress and serve with baked potato or wild rice.