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! 😂
The new website looks good. But I must confess, I like the old one better. I’m not sure if it’s the colours or the different font size. I love the portions selection bar that you have left on there.
And the new menu selection option is fantastic. Glad Dozer is still in there, oh and one last thing, I love, love, love the notes and weights you add to your recipes. Xoxo
New website looks very professional. Easy to read and well set out. Looking forward to trying many more of your reliable, east to follow recipes. Cheers
I love the red and green in it- perfect for Xmas! I also think it is a great one to make ahead and easy to transport if you’re bringing something to bbq etc. can’t wait to make it!
Gonna have to try this recipe!! Looks just scrumptious & divine😋. Love the new website! Super easy to navigate!
Nagi your recipes are superb and what a gift to have found your site. The web site is so much easier to use and thank you for yet another gift.
It’s a great new website you have here Nagi. More streamlined and easier to find recipes compared to the older version, but I did love the green from your old website. I now affiliate that green with RecipeTinEats 🙂
Congrats on the new page, and Merry Christmas to both you and Dozer!
New Site looks great so far. I love cheese, and this looks like a great recipe.
Oh Nagi! Love love love your new website! So easy to find my fave recipes, of which there are so so many! Awesome job!👏👏👍👍😃
Nagi the new web site is a triumph, fantastic new look very user friendly.I love the Dozer page.
The new website looks great Nagi. I’m glad Dozer is still there. Perhaps the ability to mark my favourites? I hope I’m leaving this comment in the correct place. This recipe looks great as well, it would definitely be marked as one of my favorites
Looks delicious! Can almost taste it while reading! Plan to make for Christmas! Thanks so much! Love your new site.
I love the new website Nagi! Very modern and easy to find my favourite recipes. Dozer made me laugh as he celebrates Christmas Dozer style!
I will definitely be doing this recipe it sounds scrumptious.
Love the new website, lookin” great!
Would love to win the knife !!! Love your new design can’t wait to make the cheese log !!!
Love the new website! It’s bold and full of photos and easy to navigate! Bravo! and Happy Holidays =)
All I can say is “wow” to your new website. Recipes so easy to find, photos large and colourful – so inviting!
I have almost all the ingredients for the Italian Cheese Log so after work I’m going to pick up the rest. Friends coming over tomorrow night so this would be perfect to share! And your new website is clean, crisp & colorful. Very easy to navigate through as well. Merry Christmas Nagi & Dozer!
Love the format but mostly I love your easy to follow recipes. Have really enjoyed everything I have cooked so far and it’s a lot. Keep up the great work. Regards Lynne
LOVE the new website…this great recipe will be perfect for Christmas Eve family time!
I said yesterday that I wouldn’t snack anymore to try and lose some of this food-loving weight but after this recipe I may need to re-evaluate ha. Btw, the website is fancy as hell. Great job!