Steak Valerie-Ann

This is our own version of the classic dish; Steak Diane.

My wife and I always loved to have this when we visited restaurants.

Sadly the dish seems to have fallen out of fashion and now rarely appears on the menu.

The origin of Steak Diane is unclear but is generally agreed to most likely have been first created in the top hotel restaurants of New York in the 1950s. In those days they would flambé the meat in the sauce right at the table. Making a spectacle of the preparation but also adding a caramelised flavour to the sauce.

The origin of our own Steak Valerie-Ann is very clear. It was created by my wife Valerie after many attempts to blend just the right components into a delicious home made version.

We believe that he key ingredients that make this super special are; the cut of steak, the preparation of the steak and the use of REAL Southern Comfort. We make the steak super thin and splash in a copious amount of the magic booze.

If you make this Steak Valerie-Ann version you will not be disappointed.

You will need:

A good chunk of fillet steak (If you buy from a good butcher he will also slice it thin for you)

Mushrooms,. One punnet should be sufficient.

One finely Chopped Onion (You may use chopped Shallots instead)

A`knob of slightly salted butter (Or substitute with for example Olive Oil spread)

A carton of double cream

A couple of dollops of Tomato puré (Ketchup works too)

A half ounce of Chopped fresh Dill

A`half ounce of Chopped fresh Chives

A cup of pre-made gravy (from stock or granules)

Sprinkling of Sea Salt

Splattering of Black pepper

A few dashes of Lea Perrins (Worcester sauce)

Accompanying vegetables (This example uses Carrots, Green beans, White Asparagus and New Potatoes)

You will also need a deep skillet or Wok

Several side dishes and plates to store ingredients

Knives and scissors, spoons and tongs, a meat basher and a rolling pin.

A long lighter if you decide to flambé

Peel the mushrooms or, if you prefer, just wipe off the earth, cut the dried ends and use that way

Cut then chop your fresh Dill and fresh Chives from your windowsill selection your herb garden or from your favourite fresh source.

That is it for the sauce ingredients, but for accompanying meal you will need to also be cooking potatoes and vegetables

We cook the rest of the meal in a pressure cooker which gets all ready at just as the sauce is ready.
You can use whatever method works best for you.

This is a very important part of making Steak Valerie-Ann.
Whilst other recipes use all sorts of meat cuts and even advocate a thick steak, for our recipe we use the best steak.
All fat is removed and the meat is then sliced thinly.
Next, to make the meat even thinner, it is beaten with a meat hammer.
Next it is seasoned with sea salt and ground black pepper.
The seasoned meat is finally rolled pressing the seasoning in and thinning more.
After all this special attention the meat is left to rest, layered on a plate.

This step is not easy and may not work for you.
As soon as the liqueur heats up you then ignite it.
A long lighter is best for this.

If you want to get this part perfect you can read more by searching on-line with the phrase "how to flambé".
You may skip the fire part and will still have a lovely sauce.
If you do Flambé then it will very dramatic and will caramelise adding an extra subtle flavour to the sauce.