VENISON CROSTINI
It may seem sacrilegious to do anything with venison loins other than sear them on a hot grill until medium rare, but this twist on an old world Italian recipe will have you rethinking your wild game game-plan.
We love this recipe for introducing friends to wild game, it's a great way to introduce venison steaks to a newcomer while presenting the protein in a familiar appetizer format, onboard with creamy burrata and a toasted crostini. The only problem you'll have is grabbing one before your guests devour them!
Duration: 30 Minutes
Serves: 6-8 people (12ish Crostini's)
Chef's Notes
It's key to remove all silverskin from any cut of steak you're using, and we recommend using backstraps or loins for their consistent grain and ease of slicing for topping the crostini. Other cuts will work, but for consistency in presentation the cuts with even grain structure work best. Last, we like to use 1/2 loins for this recipe. We actually butcher and freeze our loins as 1/2 loins because it works better for many of our recipes.
Note: Don't sweat it if you make these slightly ahead of your guests arriving. Even being consumed when slightly cooled (or even room temp) these little nuggets are still worth their weight in gold.
Ingredients
Approx. 1/2 of a venison loin
Sourdough/Frenchbread baguette
8oz of Burrata cheese
Olive oil, garlic powder, salt, & pepper to taste
Chives & Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Slice your baguette into 1/2 inch thick slices (roughly 12 for a half loin.)
Prepare the meat by removing all silverskin (see photos below). Lightly cover with olive oil, and then salt and pepper to taste.
Insert a Meater probe, and get a cast iron pan smoking hot before adding the meat. Sear on all sides until you hit an internal temp of 125 degrees, approximately 10 minutes total depending on meat thickness. Remove from the heat and let the meat rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
While the meat is cooking, arrange the baguette slices on a cookie sheet. Roast in the oven until golden brown, approximately 8-10 minutes.
Spread the burrata on the baguette slices, then proceed to slice the meat into 12 even slices, topping your crostini's. Garnish with diced chives and balsamic vinegar.
Enjoy!
Silverskin Removal
Silverskin is a pretty tough membrane, don't be afraid to keep the blade of your knife angled into the skin while removing, it'll bounce along and minimize meat loss while leaving you a clean final cut!
After olive oil, salt, and pepper it's critical to get your cast iron smoking hot to achieve that nice crust we all love to see!
