Steak crostini (two ways!)

If you're looking for an easy but impressive appetizer, look no further than this steak crostini. Choose from two different topping variations, or enjoy both, for wonderful flavor combinations in every bite. Perfect for entertaining.

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In all honesty, we don't have appetizers all that much these days. With young kids, we tend to be all about getting food on the table quickly at meal times so jump straight to mains.

But now and then, they are perfect whether as a snack, or to start a meal, and particularly when entertaining. These little bites are easy to put together, but taste divine, and so are perfect whether you want to treat guests, or yourself.

What are crostini?

Crostini means "little toasts" as they refer to the toasted bread, made by cutting thin slices, drizzling with olive oil then toasting or grilling until crisp. They're a popular Italian antipasto, perfect for snacking on, or you can serve them as a side.

Traditionally, crostini are made with larger pieces of bread that you might then cut up. In fact, the idea itself dates back to medieval times when the bread was used in place of a dish. These days, at least outside of Italy, it's more popular to use slices of baguette to make crostini, maybe in part because it makes a great easy-to-hold and bite into size.

You can make crostini with a whole range of toppings, from a simple oil and herbs to cheese, meat and much more. Since they're great as an appetizer, they're also great for entertaining. And so sometimes it can be fun to get a little fancier with the toppings!

Inspiration from an oil

I originally made these as a way to show off truffle oil, as it's perfect as a finishing oil. That means one of the main things is you don't really want to cook with it as the flavor can be lost or go a little odd, you more want to drizzle it on at the end.

When I first got some, I was new to using it, so I did some research on what truffle oil goes with. Some of the top things were:

• mushrooms in all forms
• pasta eg try a drizzle on your mac and cheese
• other carbs eg on pizza (like my green pizza), potatoes (truffle fries!) and polenta
• various vegetables eg cauliflower, squash and asparagus
• steaks and beef carpaccio.

With all these in mind, it wasn't much of a jump to make steak crostini with mushroom pate, topped with a drizzle of truffle oil. The flavors all go so well together, and they're a lovely mix of crisp bread, soft mushrooms and tender steak. Then the aromatic truffle oil brings it all together.

Different topping combinations with steak

After my first delicious success, I then started thinking about other combinations that paired well with steak. This time, I used goat cheese as the base and added a grilled baby tomato on top and a balsamic glaze drizzle.

The tomatoes are easy to cook as you grill the steak, either on the side of the grill pan, if grilling, or they can also be cooked in a skillet/frying pan. Cooking helps bring out the flavors and makes them wonderfully soft and juicy as you bite into them.

Both combinations are so tasty it seemed only fair to share both, plus the variation looks pretty on the serving plate/platter. It's also fun to try both as you nibble on them - an excuse to go back for another!

If you want to try more combinations, why not try some of these ideas:

• With a blue cheese base and maybe a little sour cream and chives on top.
• With caramelized onions, bacon jam or a tomato or fruity chutney with the goat cheese base.
• With a mustard dressing or the whiskey mustard sauce with my haggis bon bons, either just that or with added caramelized onions.

How to make steak crostini

While there are a couple of steps in making these, everything is easy and you can do some ahead of time. If you are making your own pate, this can be prepared a few days ahead, as can the crostini themselves. Then you simply cook and slice the steak, cook the tomatoes and put everything together.

If you want to make your own mushroom pate, it's relatively easy. You just soften some onions, add some chopped mushrooms, thyme and seasoning (as well as ideally some rehydrated porcini) then finish with a little white wine before blending (I mildly adapted this recipe from Smitten Kitchen). It provides a lovely earthy, smooth base and pairs well with the steak.

What cut of steak should you use?

Since you are going to be serving these as finger food, you want the beef to be nice and tender so it's easy to eat. So, I'd suggest cuts like boneless ribeye, filet mignon (tenderloin), sirloin or New York strip steak are all good choices.

A few key tips as you prepare the steak:

• Make sure you allow time for the meat to come to room temperature before cooking - you don't want the middle cold and it cooks more evenly this way.
• Season the steak before cooking to add flavor, but keep it simple - just salt and pepper, along with some oil.
• Cook medium rare for a great balance of flavor and tenderness.
• Let the steak rest before slicing - this lets the steak reabsorb the juices and leads to a more tender, flavorful steak.
• Cut against the grain - this helps each slice be easier to eat.

These steak crostini are the kind of appetizer everyone will be drawn to on your table, and once they take a bite they won't be disappointed. A delicious combination of flavors, they're a truly delectable bite. Just make sure you make enough.

Looking for more finger food appetizers? Try these!

• Sausage rolls
• Baked coconut shrimp with mango dipping sauce
• Prosciutto wrapped dates
• Cauliflower pakora
• Plus get more appetizer recipes in the archives. 

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

This was originally shared as a sponsored post in partnership with Pomora in December 2017. It has since been updated to include new photos, additional information and the added topping variation.

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