Steak Diane with Brandy & Mustard Sauce

Welcome to the first Mmm...Monday, a day to make your mouth water. Join me as I try out new recipes, a few old ones, and maybe even invent my own.

My OH fancied Steak Diane the other night, but I've never made it before so of course I make use of the great resource that is the internet & get a googling. I came across this recipe and decided to give it a go.

As many recipes disapear off the internet (as I've found out after making something delicious, go to find the recipe from my favs again its gone, must remember to print things out more often)
heres the recipe:

Steak Diane with Brandy & Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
2 sirloin, rump or rib eye steaks, about 200g each
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
For the sauce:
2 tbsp brandy or Cognac
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp snipped chives
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp lemon juice

Method
1. Place a sheet of cling film over the steaks and pound with a rolling pin until quite flat (about 5mm/¼in). Season with pepper, but do not salt.
2. Prepare the ingredients for the sauce now, as you won't have time later.
3. Heat the oil and butter in a non stick frying pan, and cook the steaks briskly for 1 minute on each side. Draw the pan off the heat, transfer the steaks to two warm dinner plates and season with sea salt.
4. Now, add the brandy or Cognac to the still-hot pan and return it to the heat, where - whoosh - it will flame.
5. When the flame dies, reduce the heat and quickly add the butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, sea salt and pepper, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon for 1 minute, allowing the mixture to bubble and thicken.
6. Add the chives, parsley, lemon juice and any juices that have gathered from the resting steaks, stir well and pour the bubbling sauce over the steaks.
7. Serve immediately, with potatoes, asparagus, or a green salad.

My take of it:
Well, my frying pan did not flame as soon as I put it back on the heat, infact I found due to the meat juices it didnt want to flame at all, so my tip here is drain the frying pan of juices, then add the brandy, maybe light it in a metal spoon first like you would a christmas pud, then add the meat juices when the flames gone out.

It takes a little while to thicken, but when it does it it then thickens very quickly, so make sure you have each stage of ingredients prepared before starting.
My Tesco delivery decided that Basil would be a great substitue for chives, needless to say the basil went back so I had to omit that from the recipe, however I dont think they were needed.

The sauce is very strong, and if I was to make it again I'd add cream at the end to take out some of the bite and make it smoother. I also wouldnt add any salt to it at any stage, it did taste rather salty at the end, though I am quick to taste salt as I avoid it normally.

Tastes great with either a salad or chips, especially when you use the sauce to dunk your veg in, nom nom nom.