Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream

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The combination of bold flavors is what makes this dish so special, and such a crowd favorite at events. There are few appetizers or canapes that are more memorable than the famous Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream. Whether it’s at a wedding, a corporate event, or gatherings of friends and family at home, if these bad boys are served, it’s guaranteed they be a hit! What’s not to like either? Ridiculously tender Filet Steak topped with a sweet and spicy Horseradish Cream all served on crispy Bread. They look amazing, they taste amazing, and they’re so easy to make!

Beef Tenderloin is the best cut of meat for Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream

There are potentially a few other cuts of Steak that may work well (such as NY Strip or Flat Iron), however when it comes to a thinly sliced, rare piece of Beef on a Crostini, it just must be Beef Tenderloin

The melt-in-the-mouth qualities that a properly cooked slice of Beef Tenderloin delivers is truly unmatched in the steak world. It is a cut of beef that is very low on fat, which also helps with its overall tenderness and ability to be served on the rarer side. There’s not going to be any fatty, stringy pieces in the slices of Beef, meaning it will be much easier to eat

That’s really what you’re looking for with a Canape style dish such as this. It needs to be very easily eaten with just 1 hand, even if multiple bites are required. A good quality, well-prepared Beef Tenderloin will easily break up when bitten into, meaning anyone enjoying the Steak Crostini can do so without having to use both hands. That other hand should, of course, be always holding a drink anyway!

The cooking of the Steak is inspired by the classic Steak au Poivre technique

When developing this recipe, we were looking for ways to infuse as much flavor into the Beef as possible. As Beef Tenderloin is not generally one of the most flavorful cuts of Beef, it is important that you find ways to get as much flavor into the meat as possible

A great technique that we started playing with in the development of our Steak au Poivre recipe was aggressively seasoning the Steak with crushed Peppercorns. The punchy, spicy flavor of the Pepper is quite bold when paired with the subtleness of the Beef Tenderloin, yet doesn’t overpower the flavor, mainly due to how thick the cut of meat is

We season the Steak generously with a combination of crushed Black Peppercorns and crushed Szechuan Peppercorns. The ratio of each is about 3 parts Black Peppercorns to 1 part Szechuan. You can mix them up if you like, but we’ve found that these ratios are the most palatable and produce the best flavor

Create the Peppercorn coating with a Mortar and Pestle

The absolute best way to crush Peppercorns is in a Mortar and Pestle. Add the whole Peppercorns and then grind them down into a relatively fine powder. This is quite a relaxing experience and is fun! Just continue to rotate the Pestle into the Mortar filled with the Peppercorns until they are crushed open. The process will take about 5 minutes, and you are looking for a powder that is fine, but still has a few chunkier bits to add more texture to the Steak

Add a generous amount of Salt to the Peppercorn mixture (about ½ tsp.) and then lay the Peppercorns out on a flat surface. Grab your Steaks and place them directly onto the Peppercorn mixture to completely coat it. Flip the steak, and coat on all sides until you’ve got basically a Peppercorn Steak block!

Cook the Steak on a hot pan the classic way, with a Garlic Herb Butter Basting Technique

There’s no better way to make Steak than the classic way, popularized around the world from Gordon Ramsay. That is, of course, the Butter basting technique. This is simply the best way to cook Steak and yields the optimal flavor and texture

To butter baste our Beef Tenderloins, you want to crank the heat on a large frying pan. We recommend using a Cast Iron Skillet as they conduct and retain heat better than any other pan. Once the pan is smoking hot, add a little bit of Neutral Oil into the pan and get that smoking (eg: Vegetable Oil)

Carefully place your Seasoned Steak into the center of the pan. Press down lightly to ensure that all of the steaks surface has touched the pan. This will achieve a good, even sear throughout. Keep the pan scorching hot and sear each of the 6 sides of the steak for 90 seconds each. You can even use the timer on your phone if you like, it does help with consistency!

Time to Baste!

Once the sides are seared, drop the pan heat down to medium (it’s best to just take it off the heat to be honest), then add the Butter, Garlic, and Herbs. Let that butter melt and absorb all the Garlic and Herb flavors. Tilt the pan towards you then carefully spoon the Butter over the Steaks to ‘baste’ them. Do this for about 2 minutes then flip and repeat on the other side

Continue to cook and baste over a medium heat until the internal temperature of the Steak reads 105F. We want these Steaks to be cooked rare, so 105F is the optimal temperature to take them off the heat

Rest the Steaks until they’re cold, then slice thinly for plating

Unlike other Steak dishes, we serve the Steak cold on the Crostini. Therefore, we want to rest the Steak for at least 30 minutes, allowing it to cool. Remember, the Steak will continue to cook while it is resting, which is why it is important to take the steak off the heat while it is still slightly undercooked

After 30 minutes the steak will have cooled, and all those internal fibers have relaxed. You can cut thin slices of the Steak and reveal that wonderful, perfectly cooked piece of Filet. Ready for serving onto your Crostini

While the Steaks are resting, you can make the Horseradish Cream

Equal parts Crème Fraiche to Horseradish get you the best flavored Horseradish Cream

Making a simple Horseradish cream for these appetizers is so easy, with just 4 ingredients needed. Ok, 5 Ingredients if you include the finely chopped Chives which we sprinkle over the Steak Crostini’s right before serving them

The ingredients in Horseradish cream are Crème Fraiche (or Sour Cream as a great substitute), Lemon Juice, Salt, Dijon Mustard, and Horseradish. We recommend simply using the jarred Horseradish which has already been grated. You can buy fresh, raw Horseradish and do it from scratch, but the canned stuff is just so much easier to use, and lasts forever in the refrigerator

The sauce is then so easy to make. Simply combine the ingredients into a small bowl and mix well then taste for seasoning. I love masking these cold sauces because it’s so easy to adjust the flavors as you’re preparing it, given there is no cooking involved. We recommend starting with equal parts Crème Fraiche and Horseradish, along with a touch of Lemon Juice and a pinch of Salt. Give it a taste and then adjust as necessary from there

The Horseradish Cream is designed to pack quite a punch of flavor, and that ‘right up your nose heat’ that Horseradish is famous for. So, when tasting the sauce, remember that you still want it a little bit on the punchy side. The Steak and bread will mellow everything else out in the final dish

The consistency of the Horseradish Cream can be controlled by scaling the Lemon Juice. If you prefer a thicker cream, then scale it back. For a runnier cream, then add more Lemon Juice. Once you’re happy with the flavor and consistency of the Horseradish Cream, it’s time to start building our Crostini’s!

Assembling your Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream

The final step in assembling the Steak Crostini is preparing the Bread. We recommend getting your hands on a French Baguette as they make the best Crostini bread. Slice the bread on a 45-degree angle, which helps to achieve more surface area for the Crostini

Give the Bread a generous pour of Olive Oil on both sides, and then cook either under the broiler or in a frying pan. You want to toast each side of the bread until it has started to turn golden brown. At this point, the bread is complete and it’s time to build our Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream!

Place the now crispy pieces of bread on a flat surface then add a slice of Steak. The Steak will likely be larger than the Bread, this is totally fine! Just fold the steak over so it fits nicely onto the piece of bread

Place about ½ tsp. of the Horseradish cream on top of the Steak, then sprinkle over some freshly chopped Chives and a pinch of Finishing Salt. Repeat for your remaining pieces of Bread and then carefully move them to a serving plate. It’s as simple as that!

Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 x 6 – 8 oz. Beef Tenderloin Steaks
• 1 French Baguette
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3 tsp. Black Peppercorns
• ½ tsp. Szechuan Peppercorns
• 3 Garlic Cloves, peeled
• 2 sprigs of Rosemary
• 2 sprigs of Thyme
• 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 1 tsp. Neutral Oil (eg: Vegetable Oil / Canola Oil)
• Salt
  
  

For the Horseradish Cream

• 1 tbsp. Crème Fraiche or Sour Cream
• ½ tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 tbsp. Horseradish
• Juice of ½ a Lemon Juice
• Chives
• Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Place the Black Peppercorns and Szechuan Peppercorns into a Mortar and Pestle and grind into a rough powder. Add 1 tsp. of Salt and mix well. Lay the Peppercorn mixture out on a flat surface. Press the Steaks down over the Peppercorns to coat evenly on all sides
2. Heat a large Cast Iron skillet or Frying pan over high heat along with the Neutral Oil. Once smoking hot, carefully place the Steak into the center of the pan. Sear on each side of the Steak for 90 seconds per side, pressing down slightly to ensure the entire side of the Beef touches the pan
3. Turn the heat to medium, then add the Butter, Garlic, Rosemary, and Thyme to the Pan. Once the butter has melted, tilt the pan towards you and repeatedly spoon the Butter over the Steaks. Cook for 2 minutes while basting, then flip and do the same on the other side
4. Once the internal temperature of the Steak is 105F remove from heat and set aside to rest. Allow the Steak to rest for 30 minutes until cool before thinly slicing
5. While the Steak is resting, prepare the Horseradish Cream by combining Crème Fraiche (or Sour Cream), Dijon Mustard, Horseradish, Lemon Juice, and a pinch of Salt in a small bowl. Mix to combine and check for seasoning and texture. Set aside
6. Slice your Baguette into individual pieces on a 45-degree angle. Sprinkle over the Olive Oil on both sides, then broil or pan fry until golden-brown then set aside
   
   

Assembling the Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream

7. Place the toasted pieces of Bread on a flat surface. Add 1 slice of Tenderloin Steak to each piece, then top with ½ tsp. of Horseradish Cream
8. Finish the Crostini’s with a pinch of freshly chopped Chives and a pinch of Flaky Sea Salt. Transfer the Crostini’s to a serving plate and serve immediately
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can replace the French Baguette with any crusty-style bread. The only watch out is you want bread that doesn’t have a lot of holes in it. So, breads like Sourdough will not be ideal for this dish
• Keep an eye on the temperature of the Steak when cooking. We want to serve the Steak rare, so removing it from the heat at an internal temperature of 105F will yield the best result
  
  

That’s our recipe for this outstanding tasting Steak Crostini with Horseradish Cream that we know will be a hit with everyone you serve them to!

For more fun appetizer dishes such as this, check out our full range of Apps here. These are a few of our favorite recipes we recommend you give a try:

• Spicy Deviled Eggs
• Flat Iron Steak Tacos
• Pepperoni Pizza Rolls
• Teriyaki Chicken Skewers
  
  

Happy Cooking!