Beef Tenderloin Crostini with Whipped Goat Cheese and Pesto

This was amazing. I made this for a fancy party and will make this anytime I need a fancier appetizer. So good. What made this even simpler was that I bought a bag of the store bought precut bread for crostini and store bought pesto that I knew was good. These were super easy to throw together. The recipe also calls for tenderloin and I was on a budget and used top loin steak. Recipe originally from domesticate-me.com

Ingredients: ½ baguette, cut into ¼-inch slices (You should have around 25 slices.)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
5 cloves garlic, divided
2 8-ounce pieces beef tenderloin
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup pesto of your choice 

For the Whipped Goat Cheese:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces goat cheese, softened
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt

Arrange the baguette slices on a large baking sheet. Lightly brush both sides of the bread with olive oil (you’ll need about 2 tablespoons of oil for this) and sprinkle with a little salt. Place bread under the broiler for 1-2 minutes on each side until lightly brown. Please pay attention while you do this, peeps, it is scarily easy to burn crostini. Peel 1 clove of garlic, and slice the tip off. Rub the clove on one side of each toasted baguette slice. Set crostini aside to cool while you get to work on your steak.

Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and fresh ground pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the steaks and cook for about 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. When you turn the steaks (after the first 4 minutes), smash 4 garlic cloves in their skins and add them to the skillet. Periodically use a spoon to baste the steaks with the oil/juices in the pan. Remove the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before thinly slicing them against the grain. (Please don’t skip the resting step!!! You need to let all the beef’s glorious juices redistribute.)While the steaks are resting, get going on the whipped goat cheese. 

You have two options here: 1.) Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process for 1-2 minutes until fluffy and smooth. 2.) Place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until fluffy and smooth. (I went with the latter bc I don’t like to clean my food processor, but you do you.)

To assemble your crostini: Spread each toasted baguette slice with whipped goat cheese. Top with a slice of steak and a small dollop of pesto. Done and done.