Happy wedding anniversary ~ Part 2 ~ Pepper-Crusted Steak with Horseradish Cream on Grilled Garlic Crostini

We enjoyed an Italian steak dish to compliment our crab ravioli on our anniversary. Surf and turf :). We just wanted a little something to snack on as we lingered at the table, enjoyed the candles surrounding us, and sipped our wine. These were perfect.

The original recipe was from Epicurious.com. I replaced the heavy cream with light sour cream, which is a different flavor, but delicious all the same. I also trimmed the steak very well before I cooked it.

Pepper-Crusted Steak with Horseradish Cream on Grilled Garlic Crostini

Based on a recipe from Epicurious.com

For the crostini:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

15 1/3-inch slices cut from a French baguette

Italian parsley, minced

Mix the olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl and brush lightly on both sides of the bread slices. To broil, position the rack so the slices are 2 inches from the top and turn when the crostini starts to brown at the edges. It will only take a couple of minutes, so watch them very closely.

For the cream:

1/3 cup freshly grated horseradish

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup light sour cream

Use a microplane grater to grate the horseradish root, and then mix the horseradish with the vinegar. Add the mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix again. Then fold into the sour cream.

For the marinated beef:

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns, cracked

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1/3 cup olive oil

2 pounds London broil (top sirloin), cut 1 1/2 inches thick

Kosher salt

Combine the garlic, hot red pepper flakes, peppercorns, rosemary, and olive oil in a Zip-loc bag. Add the beef, coating it with the marinade. Squeeze all the air out of the bag so the marinade envelops the beef, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the grill or broiler for 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle the steak with the salt and grill or broil to rare or medium rare, depending on your preference. (Our steak took about 6 minutes in the broiler to cook to our liking).

Let the steak rest for at least 20 minutes, to get the juices back into the meat, and then cut into short, very thin slices.

Arrange a few shaved slices of beef on each piece of bread, top with a dot of horseradish cream, scatter with minced Italian parsley, and finish with a little kosher salt.

The wine we paired with dinner was called Red Silk 2010 Shiraz by Oliverhill Winery in Australia. Since the traditional anniversary gift for the 12th anniversary is silk, this was our twist on it. Funny thing, out of all of the wines to choose from in the world, I chose this one for Rob, and my mom happened to choose the very same wine as a gift to us! What are the chances? 😉  So we still have one bottle to enjoy after our anniversary. Let the celebration continue!