If you google “date night in ideas”, 99% of the dinner suggestions will include steak. Steak, steak with crab cake/lobster tail/shrimp in surf & turf recipes, steak with a side that most commonly would be asparagus or some kind of potatoes (because meat and potatoes is still a top combination in all food worlds). But there is a good reason for steak being in all these recommendations – steak is delicious. However, good steak is not inexpensive, and cooking it right requires skill and most often – equipment. At at a minimum, the right pan and a thermometer. And ideally, some strong kitchen ventilation, otherwise your date night in will have the wrong kind of “smoking hot”.
But when you have a bigger group of company coming over, cooking steak quickly adds a couple of zeros to your grocery bill. And, coordinating cooking that many steaks (well done next to medium rare) and making sure your side dishes are hot – takes away from the time you could be spending with your guests. These steak crostini are my solution. Crunchy bread, complimenting flavors, and juicy steak cut into bite size pieces so you know it’s going to be an easy bite, not one where you have to use your other hand to help tear the meat off as to not end up eating the whole topping in one bite.
Optional toppings
Below is the recipe for crostini with caramelized onions, roasted garlic, blue cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic. All of these flavors go so well with steak and toasted bread.
With an appetizer as hearty as this one, you can feel confident about a lighter main course, like chicken, fish, or pasta. And most of the components can be prepared beforehand. You will only need a few minutes to sear the steak and assemble the final dish.
The other option for these steak crostini would be a creamy horseradish spread on a toasted baguette with pickled red onion and a piece of arugula. But make sure the horseradish isn’t too hot, otherwise it’ll be the only thing you taste.
Cooking steak
I cooked the steak sous-vide for this recipe. My second choice would be cooking it on the grill and my husband would be my first choice to do that 😉 However, if neither a grill or sous-vide is an option, cook the steak on the stove top, but I highly suggest watching this quick video first for a fail-proof method!
Steak Crostini
Ingredients
- 12 slices of baguette Slice diagonally, so that you have a bigger surface area in each piece
- 1 6 oz sirloin steak 1 inch thick
- 1 Tb high smoke point oil for searing (such as avocado oil)
- salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 garlic bulb
- 1 Tb butter
- 1/4 tsp salt
- drizzle balsamic vinegar
- 2 oz blue cheese crumbles Roughly a teaspoon per piece
- drizzle balsamic vinegar reduction
Instructions
Caramelized onions and roasted garlic (can be made ahead of time, keep in the fridge)
- Peel and rinse the onion. Cut in the middle. Place cut size down on a cutting board, cut in half and then slice into strips. It will cook down significantly.
- Peel the garlic bulb and peel all cloves.
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. When hot, add garlic and onions. Sprinkle with salt and give a light drizzle of balsamic. Balsamic vinegar will have a strong smell when it contacts the hot pan so make sure not to lean in and smell.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. In case it starts burning, add a little more butter or lower the heat.
Steak
- Cut lengthwise, and then again. Cut each half in three pieces so you end up with 12 equally sized pieces. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper on all sides.
- Preheat a pan over medium heat and add oil with a high smoke point. When hot, add all pieces and cook until seared on all sides. When done, move to the plate lined with a paper towel.
Assembly
- Put all baguette pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle lightly with olive oil. To avoid waste, place them closely to each other.
- Broil for 3 minutes or until golden.
- When done, take out of the oven and top each piece with a teaspoon of blue cheese crumbles, steak, and caramelized onions & roasted garlic in that order.
- Broil for a couple of minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- After placing on a serving platter, sprinkle lightly with flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Enjoy!