There is no other appetizer I want right now, than these irresistible steak crostini. They are a few small mouthfuls of absolute bliss with all the flavour and texture you could want in the perfect party snack.
- Crunchy toasted and lightly salted baguette,
- Creamy, tart goats cheese,
- Peppery, fresh rocket/arugula,
- Perfectly cooked tender steak,
- A to-die-for sun dried tomato dressing.
These flavours just go together like milk and cookies, they’re so easy to make and quick to put together. Parts can even be made ahead of time, and they can be served slightly warm, room temperature or cold making this the most perfect appetizer for your next holiday, game day or any special gathering.
You could also use your crostini toasts with this ricotta dip or this feta saganaki.
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Ingredients
There is just a handful of really great ingredients here to make these steak crostinis a truly irresistible bite. Use the best quality you can for the components and that will shine through in the flavour.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
- Baguette: You want a good crusty baguette here and thinner, something like ciabatta baguette, is better rather than the larger round shape since the thinner crostini are easier to fit in your mouth.
- Steak: I used rib-eye here but don’t skimp here – you only need 1 large steak for 20 steak crostini so grab a good one like rib eye, scotch fillet, porterhouse, sirloin, eye fillet or beef tenderloin. Something that will be nice and tender while still medium or medium-rare.
- Soft goats cheese: It needs to be soft so that it’s spreadable.
- Rocket is a tart and fresh, peppery salad leaf. It’s known by many other names including arugula, colewart, roquette and ruchetta to name a few.
- Sun dried tomato dressing: The dressing is just incredible and blends so beautifully with the other flavours of these beef crostini. Sweetness and acidity comes from balsamic vinegar. Sun dried tomatoes and some of their oil adds umami richness and a little sweetness too. Then just a touch of sugar and cracked black pepper. This is a slight adaptation of the dressing I use on my Italian chicken tray bake.
How to make them
This steak crostini recipe is simple from start to finish. Portions of it can be made ahead, making it the perfect appetizer for a large gathering.
Jump to the recipe card for full ingredients and instructions.
1. Make the crostini
The crostini can be made ahead up to 1 week! Start by slicing your baguette into slices about 1cm / ⅖ inch. Not too thick or they’re hard to bite through and not too thin that they break easily. Crostini should be super crunchy, so brush your sliced baguette with a little oil on both sides, sprinkle over some sea salt flakes, then bake for 8-10 minutes until turning golden brown.
2. Make the dressing
This chunky dressing goes wonderfully on these beef crostini. Simply combine the ingredients in a bowl, then set aside to meld those flavours together.
3. Cook the steak
Bring the steak to room temperature. Season the steak on both sides with salt (leave pepper off until the end or it burns and can get a bitter flavour). Rub a little oil over it too, then fry it in a very hot pan for 3-5 minutes each side until it’s cooked to your liking. See the tips section below for a temperature guide.
If you use a stainless or cast iron skillet you may need to add a little oil to the pan too.
4. Assemble the crostini
Spread some goats cheese over one side of each of the crostini toast.
Before adding the rocket/arugula to the crostini, dress it in a little of the liquid from the dressing then add a leaf or 3, depending on their size on top of the goats cheese. Now, slice the steak thinly, across the grain and add a slice to each crostini.
Finally, drizzle over a little of the dressing, focusing mainly on the sun-dried tomatoes and not too much of the liquid. Your steak crostini are now ready to serve.
Tips and tricks
- Bring your steak to room temperature or close to before frying. This makes it cook more evenly.
- Don’t cut your crostini too thick (hard to eat) or too thin (can be brittle).
- Peel a garlic clove and cut it in half. When the crostini come out of the oven, rub the garlic over the surface of each to impart a light but delicious extra oomph of flavour.
- Use a meat thermometer for perfect steaks. At medium-rare, the internal temperature should be 54C/130F in the thickest part. Medium 58C/140F and medium-well 62C/145F.
- Slice the steak across the grain to make it more tender and easier to bite through.
Variations
- Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs like chives or basil are a lovely addition too. If you can get micro herbs, they’re beautiful on top of each crostini. You can add some rosemary to the pan you’re cooking the steak in and rub it over the steak from time to time for added flavour.
- Sour cream: You can adjust the texture of and add some more creamy tang to your goat cheese with a little sour cream.
- Dijon mustard, just a little, is lovely added to the goats cheese spread.
- Chilli flakes / red pepper flakes add a spicy kick if added to the dressing.
⏱️Time saving tips
- You can make the crostini up to 1 week ahead. Store them in an airtight container in the pantry.
- You can make the sundried tomato dressing up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge.
- The steak is best cooked as close to serving as possible but can be served cold, room temperature or warm. If serving cold, it’s best to slice it only as you’re assembling the crostini.
- You can begin assembling your crostini with the goats cheese and rocket a couple of hours before serving. No longer or the crostini may start to soften. That said, they still taste amazing, even if the crostini aren’t super crunchy.
FAQs
Crostini are thin slices of baguette toasted until crunchy throughout and can be topped with a myriad of ingredients. Bruschetta is toasted but not crunchy bread, thicker and generally served topped with a mix of tomatoes, basil, garlic and onion.
Leave adding the toppings until close to serving time, especially any wet ingredients or dressings. Add something creamy, something tangy and a little of something sweet is great too.
Crostini literally means “little crusts” in Italian.
Assemble your steak crostini as close to serving time as possible to stop any of the toppings from soaking into the toast. Goats cheese or another cheese is a wonderful base as it will serve as a barrier to stop moisture from other ingredients getting through to the toast.
More appetizer recipes or game day snacks you’ll love
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Ingredients
- 400 g thick ribeye steak (or porterhouse, sirloin, scotch fillet) (1-1½ inch thick/~¾lb)
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or sundried tomato oil
- 1 teaspoon cooking salt / kosher salt
- big handful rocket (arugula)
- 150 g soft goats cheese (5½oz)
SUNDRIED TOMATO DRESSING
- ⅓ cup sundried tomatoes in oil if possible, drained
- 2 tablespoons sundried tomato oil or olive oil (notes 1)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (notes 1)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
CROSTINI
- 1 crusty thin baguette sliced into ~1cm pieces / ⅖ inch. You need 20 slices (notes 2)
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil as needed
- Flaky sea salt to taste
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Non stick skillet / frying pan
- Bread knife
Instructions
- Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking.
- FOR THE CROSTINI (can be made up to 1 week ahead):Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan forced)/395F.
- Lay the slices of baguette out on the baking sheet, then brush both sides of each piece with a little oil using a pastry brush. Sprinkle a little pinch of sea salt over each one.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway, until beginning to turn golden brown. Set aside. If making ahead, store in an airtight container in the pantry.
- FOR THE DRESSING (can be made up to 3 days ahead):Very finely chop the sundried tomatoes and add to small bowl with the sundried tomato oil (or olive oil if you don’t have that), vinegar, sugar, pepper and a pinch of salt. Mix well and set aside. If making ahead, store in an airtight jar in the fridge.
- FOR THE STEAK (best done the day of or right before serving): Place a large non-stick frying pan on the stove over medium-high heat and heat for 3-4 minutes until very hot. If using a skillet that is not non-stick, you’ll need to add some oil to the pan at this stage – 2-3 tablespoons. With non-stick there is no need.
- While the pan is heating, rub the 1 teaspoon of oil over the steaks, then massage the ½ teaspoon of salt all over both of it.
- Place the steak into the pan and cook, 3-5 minutes each side until done to your liking.
- Use a meat thermometer for perfect steaks. At medium-rare, should be 54C/130F in the thickest part. Medium 58C/140F and medium-well 62C/145F. For these exact size steaks, medium-rare takes around 10 minutes. If you notice fond (brown bits) forming on the bottom of the pan, move the steaks around over them to lift them so they don’t burn.
- While they’re cooking heat a plate in the microwave for 1-1 ½ minutes so that it’s warm (not hot) and when the steaks are done, transfer them to the warm plate and tent with a piece of foil over the top (don’t cover tightly).
- ASSEMBLING THE STEAK CROSTINI (best done close to serving): While the steak rests, wash and dry the rocket (arugula) then dress it with just a little drizzle of the liquid from the dressing.
- Spread about 2 teaspoons of goats cheese over each crostini, then top with 1-3 pieces of rocket (depending on size). Save smaller pieces of rocket for topping.
- Slice the steak thinly, against the grain, and place a piece on top of each crostini. Give the sundried tomato dressing a mix up, then scatter some of the tomatoes over each crostini (not too much of the liquid). Add those little pieces of rocket to the top, then serve immediately.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- It’s best to slice the baguette into thinner slices rather than thicker so they’re easier to eat. Since they’re very crunchy, large slices may hurt your mouth when you try to bite in. 1cm (⅖ inch) or less is good but also don’t go too thin if the bread you have has a lot of larger holes or it could just fall apart.
- Timing: Steak crostini are best assembled as close to serving as possible. The steak can be served cold, room temperature or warm. The assembled crostinig will stay crispy in fridge, for a good few hours but will soften over time longer than that. Rocket can be washed and dried ahead of time. Dressing can be made 2-3 days ahead – store in the fridge in an airtight container or jar with tight fitting lid. Crostini can be made 1 week ahead and stored in an airtight container in the pantry.
- Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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