The past few times I made gravy type sauces or any cream type sauce it has been separating and looking a lot less pretty than I like for serving. It's still good but how do I keep it creamy looking. For tonight, I made the one posted by David in the mustard cookalong and it was very good but it wasn't exactly nice to look at as I did try to make a nice dinner tonight. I always thought it was the alcohol that was causing the curdling in other recipes I tried but the same thing happened with this one that contains no alcohol? What's up with my technique?

MQ's Steak Diane for Two (Mqmoi)

Mark Bittman, New York Times

2 6-ounce beef fillets, cut from the tenderloin (filet mignon), preferably not too lean

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced shallot or onion

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste (I added 1/2 t. extra because dh likes it)

� cup heavy cream or half-and-half

Lemon juice to taste, optional

Chopped fresh chives or parsley leaves for garnish.

1. Flatten fillets a bit with the palm of your hand, the back of a skillet or a small mallet; they should be about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and a lot of pepper. In small skillet, preferably one just large enough to hold fillets, combine oil and tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. When butter foam melts, sear steaks on both sides, just until browned, no more than 2 minutes a side. Remove to platter.

2. Wipe pan clean with towel; add remaining butter over medium heat, with shallot or onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire and cream. Add some salt and a fair amount of pepper. Stir once or twice, then taste and adjust seasoning.

3. Keeping mixture at a steady simmer, return meat and accumulated juices to pan. Cook, turning two or three times, until meat is done to your liking, just 1 or 2 minutes a side for medium-rare. Remove to a plate, and add lemon juice, if using, salt and pepper to the sauce as needed. Spoon sauce over meat, garnish with chives or parsley, and serve.