Venison crostini is the perfect appetizer to serve for special occasions. The combination of perfectly cooked venison with velvety goat cheese, a touch of sweet balsamic glaze, and zesty pickled shallots on top of a crispy sourdough baguette slice is absolutely delicious. Indulge in this flavorful venison appetizer today!
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Featured Comment:
"Seriously delicious, I finely chopped the rosemary and added instead of the springs but other than that did everything the same. I didn’t grow up eating venison and I appreciate finding venison recipes that aren’t home style."
Why You'll Love This Recipe:
Elevated Appetizer: The layers of goat cheese, balsamic glaze, venison, shallots, and rosemary make for an impressive presentation, making it a huge hit at special gatherings. Impress your friends and family with your cooking skills by sharing this tasty appetizer! For a fun twist on a steak crostini, try these venison steak and potato bites!
Pairing Possibilities: Venison pairs well with a variety of complementary flavors, allowing for numerous combinations of sauces, cheeses, and herbs on crostini. You can get creative and serve a variety of flavor combinations! Check out this list of more seasonal venison recipes.
Shareable: Venison meat is a precious commodity. This recipe is a great way to turn an 8 oz venison steak into a tasty appetizer to serve a crowd!
Ingredient Notes:
- Venison Steak: Choosing a tender cut of steak is essential for crostini because you want something you can easily bite through and not have the whole piece of steak fall off of the bread. I used the sirloin cap for this recipe but other sirloin steaks, backstrap, or tenderloin work great. You also don't have to limit yourself to deer steaks! Any big game steak will work.
- Pork Lard: Pork lard is my go-to cooking fat for wild game. You can use bacon grease for a similar outcome or your favorite cooking fat.
- Baguette: Baguettes are essential for making crostini because they can be cut into bite-size slices.
- Goat Cheese: Goat cheese has a unique flavor that can be an acquired taste. If you're not a fan of goat cheese, you can replace it with cream cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone cheese.
- Cream Cheese: Goat cheese can be a little grainy on its own. Cream cheese adds a creaminess to the whipped goat cheese. You can also use sour cream.
- Balsamic Glaze: This crostini recipe needs a sweet element to balance out the acidity of the goat cheese and pickled shallots. You can use balsamic glaze, fig jam, honey, or whatever suits you!
Equipment Notes:
- Cast Iron Skillet: A cast iron skillet is my go-to for cooking venison steak because it makes a perfect crust on the outside. But, you can use whatever type of pan you have available.
- Hand Mixer: You can use a stand mixer in place of a hand mixer to make whipped goat cheese.
How To Make Venison Crostini:
This recipe requires a few different sets of simple steps before putting all the elements together. Read below!
Steak:
Step 1: Pat the steak dry with a paper towel.
Step 2: Season all over with salt and black pepper.
Step 3: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add lard and rosemary sprig. Let the rosemary flavor the lard for 1 minute.
Step 4: Place the steak in the hot pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F for medium-rare.
Step 5: Place the steak on a cutting board to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 6: Slice the steak into 18-20 thin strips (or enough for each piece of bread).
Crostini:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on the cookie sheet.
Step 2: Brush both sides with olive oil.
Step 3: Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
Step 4: Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bread is lightly golden brown and crisp.
Whipped Goat Cheese:
Step 1: To a medium bowl, add goat cheese, cream cheese, and olive oil. Using a hand mixer, start on low speed to incorporate the ingredients.
Step 2: Then, gradually increase the speed and mix until the cheese is smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Whipped goat cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Assembly:
Step 1: Spread goat cheese on each baguette slice.
Step 2: Drizzle each slice with balsamic glaze, fig jam, or honey.
Step 3: Top each piece of bread with a slice of steak.
Step 4: Spoon pickled shallots over the steak. A little bit goes a long way. ¼-½ teaspoon per crostini works great.
Step 5: Place a small rosemary sprig on each piece for decorative purposes. The rosemary is solely for presentation and is not meant to be consumed.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Pro Tip: If you time it right, you can make the goat cheese and crostini while the steak is resting, making this a quick appetizer!
Recipe Variations:
This popular bite-size appetizer can be customized in a variety of ways!
- Meat Options: You don't have to limit yourself to deer meat! You can use other big game steaks, waterfowl, or even upland game for this recipe. Use what you have!
- Cooking Methods: You don't have to cook the steak on the stove. You can grill it, smoke it, or use your preferred steak cooking method.
- Bacon: Everything (almost) is better with bacon, right? Add a strip of bacon underneath the steak for a smoky and salty addition.
- Sweet Ingredients: Balsamic glaze, fig jam, and honey are my recommendations for this recipe. But, you can even use apricot jam, marmalade, sweet onion jam, or whatever works best for you!
- Spicy: If you want to add a touch of spice to your crostini, add a slice of jalapeno, hot honey, red pepper flakes, or your favorite spicy ingredient.
What to Serve with Venison Crostini:
Crostini can be enjoyed on their own as a delightful appetizer or paired with your favorite venison appetizers for a festive meal. Here are a few of my favorite wild game appetizers:
- Smoked Trout Dip
- Venison Steak & Potato Bites
- Smoked Fish Crostini
- Hand Pies
- Mini Steak Sandwiches
- Venison Sliders
- Venison Meatballs
Recipe FAQ's:
Venison pairs well with many different flavors. The earthy flavors of fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme complement the earthy flavor of venison. A sweet element like balsamic glaze brings out the sweetness in the meat. Acidic ingredients like different kinds of vinegar and pickled shallots can help cut through the rich, meaty flavor.
Wild game inherently has less fat than most domestic meats and needs special care to ensure an enjoyable dining experience. Some cuts of venison are naturally tender, while other cuts are not. Backstraps (loins), tenderloins, and some sirloin steaks are naturally tender. So, these cuts can be cooked "hot and fast" and served medium-rare and will be tender. However, tougher cuts like shanks, neck roasts, and shoulders need a "low and slow" preparation to break down connective tissue and become tender.
Crostini is Italian for "little toasts." Crostini are "little toasts" topped with a variety of savory ingredients. Crostini are often grouped into a larger category of appetizers called canapés or hors d'oeuvres.
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Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Venison Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pickled Shallots
Equipment
- baking sheet
Ingredients
Steak:
- 8 oz venison steak (tender cut like sirloin, backstrap, or tenderloin)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- ½ tablespoon pork lard (or other cooking fat)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
Crostini:
- 18-20 baguette slices
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- flaked sea salt, to taste
Whipped Goat Cheese
- 4 oz goat cheese, softened
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
Other Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon balsamic glaze, fig jam, or honey
- ¼ cup pickled shallots
- 18-20 small sprigs of fresh rosemary, for garnish
Instructions
Steak:
- Pat the steak dry with a paper towel. Season all over with salt and black pepper.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add lard and rosemary sprig. Let the rosemary flavor the lard for 1 minute.
- Place the steak in the hot pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 120-125°F for medium-rare.
- Place the steak on a cutting board to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.
Crostini:
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Brush both sides with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt, if desired.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bread is lightly golden brown and crisp.
- Alternatively, you can toast the bread without olive oil or sea salt.
Whipped Goat Cheese:
- To a medium bowl, add goat cheese, cream cheese, and olive oil.
- Using a hand mixer, start on low speed to incorporate the ingredients. Then, gradually increase the speed and mix until the cheese is smooth and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Whipped goat cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Assembly:
- Slice the steak into 18-20 thin strips (or enough for each piece of bread).
- Spread goat cheese on each baguette slice.
- Drizzle each slice with balsamic glaze, fig jam, or honey.
- Top each piece of bread with a slice of steak.
- Spoon pickled shallots over the steak. A little bit goes a long way. ¼-½ teaspoon per crostini works great.
- Place a small rosemary sprig on each piece for decorative purposes. The rosemary is solely for presentation and is not meant to be consumed.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Choosing a tender cut of steak is essential for crostini because you want something you can easily bite through and not have the whole piece of steak fall off of the bread. I used the sirloin cap for this recipe but other sirloin steaks, backstrap, or tenderloin work great. You also don't have to limit yourself to deer steaks! Any big game steak will work.
- Pork lard is my go-to cooking fat for wild game. You can use bacon grease for a similar outcome or your favorite cooking fat.
- Baguettes are essential for making crostini because they can be cut into bite-size slices.
- Goat cheese has a unique flavor that can be an acquired taste. If you're not a fan of goat cheese, you can replace it with cream cheese, ricotta, or mascarpone cheese.
- Goat cheese can be a little grainy on its own. Cream cheese adds a creaminess to the whipped goat cheese. You can also use sour cream.
- Balsamic Glaze: This crostini recipe needs a sweet element to balance out the acidity of the goat cheese and pickled shallots. You can use balsamic glaze, fig jam, honey, or whatever suits you!
- A cast iron skillet is my go-to for cooking venison steak because it makes a perfect crust on the outside. But, you can use whatever type of pan you have available.
- You can use a stand mixer in place of a hand mixer to make whipped goat cheese.
- If you time it right, you can make the goat cheese and crostini while the steak is resting, making this a quick appetizer!
Anonymous says
Seriously delicious, I finely chopped the rosemary and added instead of the springs but other than that did everything the same. I didn’t grow up eating venison and I appreciate finding venison recipes that aren’t home style.
Annie Weisz says
Thank you so much!! I'm sure the extra rosemary flavor was delicious!