Easy Venison Steak Caprese Crostini
If you are hosting any kind of party or dinner this holiday season, these Venison Steak Caprese Crostinis are a must!! They are extremely simple to make, full of fresh flavours and look so pretty that everyone will be impressed.
Caprese is a classic flavor profile combining fresh tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. It is traditionally a salad, but we are talking all those components to serve as a delicious Venison Steak crostini!
These Venison Steak Caprese Crostinis start with a piece of toasted sourdough baguette. It is then topped with soft mozzarella cheese. and a slice of balsamic seared venison steak. To finish it off you add tomatoes and red onions, a dollop of homemade pesto and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It is everything you could truly want in a crostini!
I love serving these as an appetizer because they are a beautiful way to serve your wild game to people who may not be used to it. All of the vibrant flavours in these will make anyone enjoy venison. You can prep all of the components ahead of time so that all you have to do is sear the steak and assemble the day you want to serve. You can of course make homemade baguettes and pesto, OR buy both if you are short on time. Add these to your holiday recipes because everyone will love them!
Tips for Making Venison Steak Caprese Crostini
- I recommend toasting your baguettes slices before adding and melting the cheese. You want the bread to be nice and crunchy so that when you add all the toppings it doesn’t go soggy.
- When marinading your meat, you want to let it marinate for at least 4 hours. Ideally over night. This can be done even a couple days in advance if you want to get organize. The longer it marinates, the flavor it will have.
- To serve these crostinis, you want to assemble them right before serving. This will keep everything vibrant, fresh and proven soggy bread.
Venison Steak Caprese Crostini Ingredients
Steak– This can be venison or any other large wild game you have. You can use backstrap, tenderloin, sirloin, flat iron etc.
Baguette– I love using homemade sourdough baguettes for these but you can use store bought as well.
Mozzarella– Fresh, soft mozzarella is the best, but brick pizza style mozzarella is also delicious.
Tomatoes– Cherry tomatoes hold their shape best, and add a nice sweetness.
Red Onion– You just need a touch of red onion to add a little kick.
Basil Pesto– This can be store bought or homemade. Everything to make it homemade is in the recipe card.
Balsamic Glaze– This isn’t 100% necessary but adds a nice tough of sweetness.
Balsamic Marinade– A simple marinade consisting of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dijon, maple syrup, garlic, s&p.
The Steps
- Start by marinading the steak. Add all of the steak ingredients, excluding the steak into a bowl or measuring cup. Whisk until combined.
- Then, place the steak in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the meat. Make sure all of the meat is coated, seal the bag and place in the refrigerator for minimum 4 hours or up to 2 days.
- When you are ready to make the crostinis, remove the meat from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- While that rests, make the pesto by adding all of the pesto ingredients to a blender, or jar with an immersion blender. Blend the pesto until smooth. Taste and add any more salt if needed.
- Next, heat a cast iron skillet over high heat with a couple tbsp of butter or tallow. Let it get nice and hot.
- Place the steaks in the pan and sear for 3-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness) and remove them from the pan when the internal temp reaches 120F for rare or 130F for medium rare.
- Allow the steak to rest for 6-8 minutes before slicing nice and thin.
- For the vegetables, stir together the chopped tomatoes, red onion, 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Finally, lay the sliced baguettes on a baking sheet and broil on one side until golden.
- Remove them from the oven, flip them over and lay a slice of mozzarella on each one. Put them back under broil until the cheese is melted.
- To build the crostinis, lay a slice of steak on each one, followed by a spoonful of the tomatoes, a small dollop of the pesto and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serve immediately and enjoy!
If you give this recipe a try, leave a comment or a recipe review below :).
Looking for more ways to use your Venison or other wild game meat this holiday season?
https://cmbarndominium.com/juicy-tender-pulled-barbecue-venison-sliders/
https://cmbarndominium.com/burrata-maple-bourbon-venison-crostinis/
https://cmbarndominium.com/easy-flavourful-caramelized-onion-venison-sausage-rolls/
Toasted sourdough baguette sliced, topped with soft mozzarella cheese, a slice of balsamic marinated venison steak, fresh tomatoes, homeade pesto and balsamic glaze. All the flavors of a caprese salad in a delicious crostini. * You can use store bought baguette and store bought pesto if you prefer not to make it. * Almost any cut of wild game steak you like will work for these crostinis. Backstrap, tenderloin, flat iron, sirloin etc. * To prep these in advance, marinade the meat, make the pesto, and make the tomato mixture. Store all of these in the fridge for up to 2 days, then sear the meat and assemble the crostinis the day of. 
Venison Steak Caprese Crostinis
Ingredients
For the Steak
For the Pesto
For The Crostini
Instructions
Notes
