Steak Diane really needs a tender cut, and with venison that means tenderloin or backstrap. The best way to cook this is with a large piece of backstrap that you then cut into medallions right before you serve. If you have regular medallions, it will still work. While it is important to use heavy cream for this recipe (lighter creams will separate), it is not that important to have fancy brandy for this recipe -- just use something you would drink, OK?
Recipe by Hank Shaw on August 11, 2011
Prep time: PT20M
Cook time: PT12M
Total time: PT32M
Rating
4.96 stars (145 reviews)
Keywords
venison
Ingredients
1/2 pound piece of venison backstrap (or tenderloin)
Salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, (minced)
3 cloves garlic, (minced)
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 cup venison stock or beef broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon mustard ((I use Dijon))
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 cup heavy cream
Minced herbs for garnish (basil (parsley, chives, etc))
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
French
Steps
Bring the venison loin out of the fridge, salt it well and let it come to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.
Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat for about 90 seconds. Pat the venison dry with a paper towel and cook it on all sides. Turn the heat to medium so the butter doesn't scorch, and take your time. It should take about 8 to 10 minutes or so to get a nice brown crust on the venison without overcooking the center. Remove the venison, tent loosely with foil and set aside.
Add the shallots to the saute pan and cook for 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Don't let the garlic burn. Deglaze the pan with the brandy, scraping off any stuck-on bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Let the brandy cook down almost to a glaze, then add the venison stock, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Let this boil down until a wooden spoon dragged across the pan leaves a trail behind it that does not fill in for a second or two. This should take about 3 minutes on high heat.
Turn off the heat and let the boiling subside. Stir in cream until the sauce is as light as you like. Don't let the sauce boil again or it could break.
Slice the venison into thick medallions. If you find you have not cooked it enough, let the meat swim in the sauce for a few moments to heat through. If the venison is to your liking, pour some sauce on a plate and top with the meat. Garnish with some chopped herbs. Chives are traditional, but basil and parsley are also nice.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 487 kcal
Carbohydrates: 10 g
Protein: 37 g
Fat: 25 g
Saturated Fat: 15 g
Cholesterol: 160 mg
Sodium: 505 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Reviews
Duke on 2026-03-31 (5 stars): Probably my favorite backstrap recipe. No brandy on hand today so I used Marsala instead. Still great.
Cindy Wald on 2025-12-27 (5 stars): Thus was awesome with venison!!
Sam on 2025-12-09 (5 stars): WOW this sauce was good. I didn't have any brandy so I used white wine with a little bit of honey, and I also halved the Worcester, mustard, and tomato paste amount because we wanted the sauce to be a little more mild. was literally licking it off the plate it was so good!
CJ Jarvis on 2025-11-05 (5 stars): This recipe is a 10! Made it on a wednesday night with fresh elk steaks from British Columbia. My wife says It’s the best sauce she has ever had! Definitely making this one again!
Lora Frost on 2025-10-07 (5 stars): I use elk in this recipe and it’s so amazingly delicious.
Megan M on 2025-03-25 (5 stars): Best venison recipe ever. I’ve been experimenting for years and this is hands down THE BEST. It’s our family “go to” recipe. The flavors are amazing and it goes well with mashed potatoes
Ursula Misangyi on 2025-01-20 (5 stars): This is first class! Our go to recipe when we have venison backstrap and guests. So, so good! Thank you, Hank.
Oh, and make it 100% to recipe!
Ursula
Mollie McGee on 2025-01-07 (5 stars): Delicious!! One of my kids and my husband aren’t always enthusiastic about venison because of its gamey flavour and sometimes toughness, but we all adored it in this recipe Sunday night. My daughter (the kid who doesn’t love venison) came running downstairs THE SECOND she was called for dinner (it usually takes 2-3 shouts+) and said she could smell it all the way on the top floor. I didn’t even have all the right ingredients (I can’t really do dairy, so I used a special double cream made with coconut — but don’t worry, it doesn’t taste like coconut!! — and had to substitute Marsala/white wine/ vodka for the brandy; I did however use ghee instead of butter because even tho’ dairy’s off limits, there just is no substitute for butter flavour…), and even with all these subs, it tasted amazing. I will definitely come back to this recipe again. Thank you!
Aaron Schmanski on 2025-01-03 (5 stars): Hank - this is my Go To for old friends who I am sharing my most recent Wisconsin whitetail back loin with. This is my Go To for my most important meal of the year with my wife. Our best wine is always served with this meal. I now hunt it, butcher it, and am the Chef. Perfect.
Matt on 2024-12-31 (5 stars): My go to recipie for tenders and backstrap. Excellent!!
Blake Knobbe on 2024-12-18 (2 stars): I'm a huge fan of your recipes Hank, but this sauce tastes and smells of ketchup and mustard. I would like to try the more classic recipes, which seem to be nearly the same other than excluding the tomato paste.
Tyson Brown on 2024-11-26 (5 stars): This is a fun recipe and tastes fantastic. Lots of positive comments. Everyone loves it!
Matt on 2024-11-24 (5 stars): Perfect! This recipe is a must try!
Dawn on 2024-11-05 (5 stars): Incredible! Made with a 1 lb venison tenderloin and was thrilled with how this tasted!
Feather on 2024-10-09 (5 stars): The sauce alone is worth the price of admission! Excellent on elk tenderloin, and with some crispy potatoes it's just heaven. Careful ladies, this one might get you a proposal! Delicious!
Elizabeth Brownell on 2024-10-07 (5 stars): I’ve made this recipe over 20 times!! Sometimes using red wine instead of brandy. I’ve used deer meat and moose and have both have turned out fantastic. If I could rate it 10/5 stars I would!
Darryl kemble on 2024-07-30 (5 stars): had a Crack at the Steak Diane. turned out perfect. mum was licking the plate. lol
Edward on 2024-01-26 (5 stars): Just discovered the man and this site and this was the 1st recipe I tried.
Changed my life