Steak Diane Flambé - Recipes to Rival Challenge

The March Recipes to Rival - Steak Diane Flambé - was a challenge that gave members an opportunity to play with fire. Temperance of High on the Hog and Shawnee of delishes-delishes hosted the challenge and selected this month's recipe which was developed by Frank Bordoni for UKTV's Great Food Live. The recipe calls for beef medallions that weigh about 3 ounces each. I altered my version of the recipe to include four 3/4-inch thick tournedos that weighed 6-ounces each. I cooked the mushrooms and the steak in separate skillets to assure the steaks would be a lovely, crusty brown. The contents of both skillets were combined for the final flambé. Now, I've had mixed feelings about igniting food for years. I suspect it's the result of a bad experience had in the Boom Boom Room at the Matador Restaurant in Spokane - short version, the server nearly set fire to my hair. The life lesson - never eat in a place called the Boom Boom Room. I do flambé but I make sure my hair is pulled back and I use a 12-inch bamboo skewer to torch the brandy. One other caution, make sure your mushrooms are very finely sliced. This dish is ready in about 5 minutes and they won't cook properly if they are too thick. This is a nice recipe and it has all the ingredients needed for a lovely supper for four.

Steak Diane Flambé

Ingredients:
4 (6-oz.) beef tournedo cut 3/4-inch thick
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons melted butter, divided use
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/4 to 1/2 cup very thinly sliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon olive oil
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon snipped chives
1/4 cup brandy

Directions:
1) Dry tournedos with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Rub one side with mustard.
2) Heat a frying pan large enough to hold the mushrooms in a single layer over medium heat; add 1 teaspoon melted butter and Worcestershire sauce.
3) Add shallots and mushrooms; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
4) Heat a second skillet large enough to hold tournedos over high heat. When skillet is hot, add reserved 1 teaspoon butter and olive oil. Swirl pan to coat bottom of pan. Add tournedos, mustard side up; cook for 2 minutes. Turn and saute 2 minutes longer. Add mushrooms to pan.
5) Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
6) Pour in cream and chives. Pour in brandy and ignite with a burning bamboo skewer. Remove from heat when flame is extinguished.
6. Transfer tournedos to a warm serving plate. Spoon sauce evenly over all. Garnish with additional chives if desired. Yield: 4 servings.