The humble crostini isn't so humble in my kitchen. My steak crostini comes with perfectly roasted tomatoes, creamy brie, charred bread that's been drizzled in olive oil and to REALLY take it to the next level a delicious anchovy caper salsa drizzled over the top!
sponsored by The Pawn Wine Co, Adelaide Hills
Why I Love This Recipe
- simple to make
- packs so much flavour
- fancy for date night but simple for school night
- great food to share for groups
Steak is defo my weakness and when there is bread and cheese involved well ain't nothing holding me back! This steak crostini dish is the PERFECT dish to serve amongst a large family get together or amongst friends as everyone can just dig in and help themselves. It defo looks like it belongs on the table for Saturday date night but given it takes less than 30 minutes to make it's perfect for a school night too!
What Steak Can I Use?
Choosing a cut of meat can be a difficult decision especially when we see different names being used to describe the same cut of meat ie rib-eye, rib fillet or scotch fillet.
When it comes down to it for a dish like this steak crostini you want a cut of beef that will cook hot and fast in a pan or on the grill, won't break the bank but will also be juicy and tender! For me, that's gotta be rib-eye (rib fillet/scotch fillet). It's got the right amount of meat to fat ratio, takes about 5-6 minutes to cook (size depending) and once sliced thinly it's juicy and tender.
Yes, you can use an eye fillet but it's typically a good bit more expensive. Porterhouse or sirloin is another great option or you could even go down the route of skirt/hangar steak. These usually require a little bit of marinade to tenderize them but are definitely a good choice for keeping the budget down and adding tons of flavour.
Cut to avoid - cheeks, shin, chuck or brisket are all cuts that require patience and slow-cooking. They are TOTALLY worth it but they are a day off work, doing the gardening kinda cut 😉
Masterbuilt BBQ
I'm a big fan of cooking on my BBQ - less cleaning to be done, you can get the heat up nice and high and that oh so tasty charcoal and chargrilled flavour. For this dish, I used my Masterbuilt BBQ from Barbeques Galore here in Australia. I get up to 250+c in 10 minutes making it just as quick as any oven or gas BBQ but you get the added bonus of being able to easily regulate the temperature through the external fan. Allowing you to have perfectly cooked meat every time. Check out my tips below and happy cooking!
When cooking any steak here are my top tips
- Remove steak from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking
- Season - don't be afraid to add a good amount of salt to your steak prior to cooking
- Sear on a high heat - either heat up that BBQ to the max or have your pan smoking hot
- Rest it. Leave it rest for 5 minutes before slicig it. Do so by placing on a wire rack with a piece of tinfoil gently placed on top
Roasting Tomatoes
I used baby vine tomatoes when making my version but the truth is you can use any sized tomato you want. Cherry, truss, grape etc will all work just fine. The key to the tomatoes is roasting them in the oven with a good glug of olive oil and plenty of salt. If using larger tomatoes then best to cut them in half and if you have time roast them as low and slow as you can.
I chopped my baby vines in half and roasted them for 15-20 minutes @ 160c but if I had all day I'd drop that temperature down to about 120c and let all those natural sugars come out giving you incredibly juicy tender tomatoes.
The tomatoes can be made in advance and served cold or quickly reheated in a low oven for a few minutes - a great tip if you are serving at a dinner party and not sure what time the mains are at. That way, all you need to do is focus on nailing the steak for the steak crostini!
Anchovy Caper Salsa
This is the BUSINESS. It takes the steak crostini from something that's damn good to the hall of fame status. Salty, citrusy, tons of olive oil and fresh parsley. This over any beef dish is something special. Come to think about it over grilled chicken, fish or even veggies it's a winner!
You can go old skool and make everything in a pestle and mortar, chop it by hand (aka with a chef knife) or be quick, lazy and equally as successful by using a mini food processor!
The salsa will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge but it's best consumed on the day you make it as it starts to brown the longer it keeps making it less appealing.
Top Tip - don't add salt as anchovies will add plenty for you 😉
Wine Pairing
Steak dinner without wine is like Laurel without Hardy, Pizza without Cheese or Peanuts without Butter. Ok, that last one doesn't really work but you get where I am going with this - don't you?
For this delicious and simple steak crostini, I picked a number from my good friend Tom over at The Pawn Wine Co. Naturally we had to get an Aussie shiraz! This ain't any old shiraz though. Tom makes his wines so they are fun and approachable. "Drink it now," he said, "trust me"! He was right. The price tag is reflected on a wine well made but approachable for every group, Whether you are a beginner, fancy yourself as a wine snob or actually are a wine snob this wine will tick boxes.
The wine in my not so expert opinion is simply a good drinking shiraz. Yes, it's got the skills to go 3-5 years in bottle but for me it's a buy, decant and drink now kinda bottle. At $40 it isn't going to leave you broke but you also won't be embarrassed to bring this along to friends for dinner anytime soon.
Notes of cherry, chocolate and a touch of stewed fruit. Herbaceous notes, blackberries, bark, velvety tannins and a nice balance of acidity too. There is medium length to the wine and once you take a mouthful of perfectly cooked steak crostini and wash it down with this there is nothing that can be said other than "perfection"
I've tasted through 5 of Tom's wines now and I have come to the same conclusion with them all - they make me happy! So, why not head to the site yourself and bring a little joy to your own life!
More Crostini Style Dishes
Inspired by this delicious steak crostini and want to get more delights served on toast for dinner? Check out these recipes for some inspiration.........
Duck Crostini w/ Ricotta & Cherries
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends......
Ingredients
- 500 g rib fillet
- 8 slices bread sourdough/pane di case
- 150 g brie
- 250 g tomatoes baby or vine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Salsa
- 3 anchovies
- 2 tsp capers
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 150 ml olive oil
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- ½ cup parsley
Essential Tools
- BBQ or grill pan
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- Measuring utensils
- mini food processor
- tongs
- wire rack
- non stick oven pan/baking tray
Instructions
- Set the oven to 160c
- Heat your BBQ to 300c
Salsa
- Place all the ingredients in a mini food processor and blend
Crostini
- Cut the tomatoes in half, place in a non-stick oven proof fry pan, drizzle with oil and salt and roast @ 160c for 15-20 minutes (cooking time will differ depending upon the size of your tomatoes)
- Season steak generously and drizzle with oil. Cook steak on BBQ @ 300c for 2-3 minutes per side or until internal temperature is approx. 52c for medium rare. Remove, place on wire rack, cover gently with foil and allow to rest for 5-8 minutes *see tips*
- As the steak is resting, drizzle the bread in oil and grill until golden brown
- Slice steak into slices about ½ cm thick and serve
Serving
- Place a slice of brie on the warm bread, top with some tomatoes and slices of steak on top
- Drizzle with salsa and serve
- Alternatively lay it all out and serve family style and let everyone help themselves!
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- if cooking your steak in a grill or frying pan you may want to finish it in the oven depending upon the thickness of the steak. I like to sear mine on both sides and then place it in the oven for 2-3 minutes.
- resting your meat on a wire rack allows air to circulate around the meat so that it doesn’t overcook. If you leave it on a plate the bottom will sweat and continue to cook too much
- tent your cooked steak gently with tinfoil – this will stop it from cooling too much but won’t end up overcooking. Don’t wrap the steak or else it will overcook.
Yum, this looks like the perfect weekend food!! Love the combination of brie and tomatoes, a few beers, a couple of these and everyone would be all set!
Sounds PERFECT - don’t forget the invite 😉
Now thats what I call a crostini! Those oven baked vine tomatoes look incredible with that juicy steak... So perfect when you have friends over and wanna crack open a nice bottle of wine!
You hit the nail on the head - friends, wine and good food = PERFECTION
What a delicious flavour combination! I can definitely picture sitting around with some friends, enjoying this with a glass of wine 🙂
Thanks for the shoutout too my friend!
My pleasure 😉 yeah it’s a winner for a get together with friends alrite
Looks just perfect, taste is even better. That Anchovy Caper Salsa is the bomb too! Thanks for sharing.
I’ve put the salsa on about 5 different things lately #winning