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! 😂
Hi Nagi! LOVE the new site! It’s very easy and quick to navigate, loads extremely fast, and it’s great to see direct links to things like your One Pot meals vs Fast Meals – and the link to your Mother’s website is very appreciated. She has some great recipes too!
Also love to see that Dozer has a category all his own, such a love he is! So, the new website hits all the marks.
This recipe, passes them all. 🙂
Have a smurfy day!
Hi Nagi.
Love your new website…so bright and full of inspirations.
Wow what a great Xmas present, I have been saving every Recipe from day one in my email file, but found it hard to Catalog. Because I work out of town for 7 days I then search and Catalog emails you sent me for that week but now I can just search and cook for my Family, Love your work.
Regards
Bob Kapitz
Love the new recipe categories! Sometimes you just want to see all the pasta 🙂
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Love love love the new website format. Means I can find any recipe so simply now. Well done Nagi 🙂
My people are definitely uncivilized, we would dive right in with our crackers! LOL I love the new site, Nagi. It’s fresh and clean, it’s also easy to see where everything is located. 🙂
Had no real issues with the old site other than trying to find past reciepies. The new site seems more user friendly for someone like my self who thrives on simplicity
My favorite website just got better.
Congrats! You know me I usually comment after I’ve made a recipe…But the giveaway looks amazing!
I love your new website!!! Very interesting and enticing to read, I particularly love the attractive colors of the photos. Very inviting to read the recipes! So easy to navigate!! Thank you!
The new website is very user friendly and affords easy access to my favourite recipes. I am making the Italian Cheese Loaf for my staff Christmas party. That knife would be perfect to prepare the ingredients. Merry Christmas Nagi, Dozer and family.
Housework today and here it is after 9am and sipping my 3rd cuppa whilst browsing your new website. Love it, so easy to use. Definitely a goer for me.
I stumbled across your site about 6 weeks ago, have made so many of your recipes and we love each and everyone of them.
You are amazing Nagi. Thank you for your tasty and easy recipes.
I also loved your old website, but the new one is great! Love your recipes, your style and Dozer!
Love the new look! Very snazzy and the text jumps out at you more. p.s. Hi, Dozer!
Looks delicious and wonderfully festive. Will try it this weekend for our early Christmas family-get-together.
The old website was great, this one is fabulous !! Love it…
The site is Awesome Nagi, I love all your recipes, this one is exceptional just in time for Christmas. Happy Christmas to you and your family and a great New Year…Ruth
The site seems easier to navigate!
Hey Nagi! I have been an avid follower of yours since accidentally stumbling upon your lamb shanks recipe and I’ve been hooked on you since 🙂 You have literally changed my life and to be honest, would LOVE your site, no matter what it looked like, Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year! xoxo
Nagi, your a genius! Everything about your website is perfect. What with videos, great notes and pictures, who couldn’t make amazing meals. Cant wait to try this one out. Thanks.
Love your receipes. Easy to follow and so tasty. Website is great. Look forward to more receipes in the New Year. Merry Christmas to you and your family and Dozer.
Wow, just the recipe I was looking for. Plan to make 2. One to take to a s street party and one to serve for nibbles before Christmas dinner. (with some of your fantastic gourmet crackers) Love the new website