Kick off the holidays with this festive Christmas Appetiser – an Italian Cheese Log! It’s like an antipasto platter in dip form packed with minced salami, olives, peppers, green onions, a hefty dose of Italian seasonings, AND topped with sun dried tomato.
Terrific easy, make-ahead economical alternative to expensive cheese platters – and bursting with the holiday cheer!!!
A FESTIVE CHRISTMAS APPETIZER IDEA!
Bringing on some Christmas cheer with this festive Italian Cheese Log!!
It’s a far cry from your usual cheeseball with a handful of token flavourings. This one is jam packed with flavour…. loaded with Italian flavours!!
The secret ingredients in this are finely chopped salami and sun dried tomato. Taking the time to mince the salami really makes a difference because then it’s all throughout the cheese log – nobody wants to be that person who takes a giant scoop of dip only to find it’s completely devoid of salami!
As for the sun dried tomato – well, I contemplated putting it in the cheese log, but I simply couldn’t resist how great it looks when piled on top. Add a few sprigs of rosemary, and it just looks so fabulously festive – it’s a perfect Christmas appetiser for sharing!! 🎄🎄🎄
WHY YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE!
It would be so easy to ramble on and on about how great this Italian Cheese Log is, but you don’t need that. So let me just get right down to why you’ll love this!!
✅ Looks fabulous – a great Christmas appetiser made for sharing!
✅ Tastes incredible – packed with flavour!
✅ Easy
✅ Make ahead – keeps for up to a week*
✅ Makes loads
✅ But can also be scaled down
✅ Economical alternative to expensive cheese platters
✅ Adaptable and versatile! Skip the salami to make it meatless, change up the add ins!
* Subject to shelf life of salami
AN ANTIPASTO PLATTER – IN CHEESE LOG FORM!
I just love the colours in this. Even making it brings on the holiday cheer – look at all those colours! ↑↑↑
We’ve got salami, olives, chargrilled peppers (I like to use the jar with mixed colours – yellow and red – just for extra colour), cheese, and a nice hit of freshness from minced green onion.
Add a good dose of Italian seasonings – I like to make my own simple mix here but you can absolutely substitute with an Italian seasoning mix – then simply mix it all together, scrap into a loaf pan or freeform it into the shape of a log and refrigerate.
The refrigeration time is to firm it up so it can be turned out onto a platter and also to give it time for the flavours to meld. It’s terrific made on the day, but it’s even better the next day… and the next… and the next!
QUICK FESTIVE LOOK
Decorating it is my favourite part – the beauty of it being that it’s so easy!! I literally just dump an entire jar of sun dried tomatoes over the top – oil and all.
The oil is infused with flavour and it’s part of the overall eating experience. So with every bite, you have crisp salty crackers, the soft flavour packed Cheese Log, some extra pops of flavour from sun dried tomato AND juiciness from the sun dried tomato oil.
Ahhhh, it’s the perfect bite!!! 😇
If your people are more civilised than mine, then consider serving this Italian Cheese Log with small cheese knifes to spread onto crackers.
But if your people are like mine, you’ll skip the cutlery and just let everyone dive in with their hands, grabbing crackers and dunking it straight into the cheese log.
Yep, it’ll get messy. All that effort you go to, prettying it up and they are going to annihilate it.
And that’s totally ok. That’s what sharing food is all about, right?? Especially during the festive season! 😂 – Nagi x
MORE CHRISTMAS APPETISER IDEAS!
CHRISTMAS APPETISER – ITALIAN CHEESE LOG!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Christmas Appetiser: Italian Cheese Loaf
Ingredients
Cheese Log:
- 500g/ 1 lb cream cheese , softened (Note 1)
- 1/3 cup sour cream (Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp EACH thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary, black pepper OR 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp EACH garlic powder, salt, red pepper/chilli flakes (adjust to taste)
- 2 cup cheddar or other cheese , freshly grated (Note 3)
- 280g / 9 oz roasted peppers , drained and finely chopped
- 180g / 6 oz salami , finely chopped (Note 4)
- 3/4 cup green olives , finely chopped
- 1/3 cup green onion , finely minced (3 – 4 stalks)
Topping/serving:
- 220g / 7 oz sun dried tomato strips with OIL , roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley , finely chopped (or chives)
- Rosemary sprigs (decoration)
- Jatz or other crackers , for serving
Instructions
- Spray a loaf pan with oil then line with cling wrap with overhang.
- Mix Cheese Log ingredients together. Taste and adjust salt if needed (bear in mind saltiness of crackers you are serving with).
- Scrape into loaf pan and level surface, pressing to remove air pockets. Smaller pan = taller loaf.
- Cover with cling wrap overhang and refrigerate for 4 hours+ (up to 1 week).
- Turn out onto platter, peel off cling wrap.
- Top with sun dried tomato and pour over oil. Garnish with parsley and rosemary sprigs to give it a festive look.
- Best to serve closer to room temp than fridge cold. Serve with crackers! Knives for smearing optional – it’s soft enough to scoop with crackers.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Cute Christmassy photos of Dozer is all part of the Christmas tradition. Except…… he fell asleep mid photo shoot! 😂
Looks fab…can’t wait to try it!
Your new website design looks amazing! Great job!
The recipe sounds delicious, and I can’t wait to try it. I like the new look of your website, too, and will have to do some more exploring! Congrats!
love the new site design, friendlier and love dozer too. congrats Nagi, I am a big fan!!
Oh yes!!! The cheese log looks fabulous. Can’t wait to try it. Liking the new website as well.
The cheese log looks delicious! And the new website is great on the eyes – words and pictures are clearer and brighter!
Love, love, love the new look. It’s crisp, clean, modern and most importantly it is easy to search and move around the website. You are my go to food blogger. Best recipes!!
Nagi – the cheese log looks great, being Italian myself – I will definitely give it a try.
Please put my name in the hat for the knife drawing !!
The revamp of your site looks amazing! Looking forward to trying some of these recipes soon!
Love the categories list! In fact, I file your emails by categories so I can peruse choices when I buy say a pork roast, or chicken thighs. It will be much easier to find them on your site. Thanks Nagi! Hug for Dozer 🙂
Fantastic looking and easy to find recipes on your new website Nagi! And the baby photos of Dozer… awww… no wonder it was love at first sight 😍
Love the new website – will need more time to poke around. I can’t imagine how much time it takes to cook, design and improve recipes, film, take pictures, support the site and take such great care of Dozer! You must be a super woman! Happy holidays to you, your fam and DOZER!
My family loves cheese balls and dips. I can’t wait to try this for Christmas. The website is great and I love the new layout.
Hello I am new to this but I am going to try and get this in my schedule for a treat for the new years eve party and keep sending out the best
Love the look of the new website and easy to navigate. Thanks for this appetizer recipe – can’t wait to try.
The cheese log looks delicious! And the new website is easier on the eyes, words and pictures are clearer and brighter!
I read your recipes on a daily basis, and have made many of them, I have never been disappointed. Very good site.
I love the new design of your website! And thanks Nagi for the crispy Chinese porkbelly recipe, since my uncle died due to lung cancer we haven’t eaten it often, my parents don’t know how to make it. Now I can do it when I’m home for holidays! 🙂
I’ve made several of your recipes and I love each and every one of them. I served your wild rice pomegranate salad at Thanksgiving and then made it 2 more times because it was such a hit! Love the new website and especially Dozier. Goldens are my favorite. Thanks for fab recipes, will try this cheese log zoo …
Nagi, forgot to add, that I really like that the ads on the site are on the ‘side’ of the page rather then after each photo or paragraph. Less obtrusive and I tend to read them if they are not in the way of my first reason for being on the site. Thanks.