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!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I will try this on Christmas.
I like the layout of your new website, easy to navigate but I do like the old green background as it feels refreshing and not the current blue hue.
Happy Holidays!
Agnes
I absolutely love the website! It’s easy to see everything due to layouts and colour schemes!
Nagi, I am at your site every single day and you are my go to for all things fabulous to eat.
Love the new look! Very happy you still have Life with Dozer!
This cheese log looks AH-MAZING! Definitely making this for Christmas.
Like the new font on the recipes. Makes them easier to read.
Love the site! As usual love the recipes! Will use this with our growing number of people coming to our table. Love your pictures of Dozer.
I like the changes you have made to the website. Glad you didn’t change it completely! The changes make it easier readers/subscribers especially in recipe panel, which is much more clear. Having said that the recipes are the same and that’s what really counts! I am an Englishman living in Montreal and appreciate the cosmopolitan mix of dishes and also the way that you make things easier and achievable for us amateurs! Thank you!
Loving the ease of the new site, and of course love LOVE the recipes!
I confess that I always look at Dozer’s photos before the recipe, so the Dozer button is fantastic. So is the rest btw!
Wow! It is so much more attractive to look at. Better layout. I will be searching your site more often because it is just easier on your eyes! Thank you!
Love the new website. Simple yet easy to use. And also, I love that you already piled up the top posts which for me is great so that I would easily know which recipes are on the A list 😍. And how can I not thank you for giving Dozer his own page. Love you, Nagi and Dozer. Been loving you for years. Continue doing great food and cheers to more years of fun and ❤️
I love the new format/layout of the site, Nagi! Thank you for all the great recipes, too; I now use your site as my go-to as everything I have made has been great 🙂
Nagi! Nice new website! It looks so organized. And the photos are amazing as always!
Hey I love the new format! Lots of great information and the bonus if a Dozer page! Love it!
Loving the new layout and can’t wait to try this recipe. Love your recipes have tried so many.
Thanks for another beautiful recipe! I like the new layout with the easy to find, print and share recipes.
Merry Christmas!
New site looks good! And the cheese log looks good, too! Have a great Christmas!
Great website!! I’m in the process of taking over website maintenance for the choir I sing with and will shamelessly use some of your ideas…..
Great recipes and an excellent site
Presentation, presentation. Great new look and more food that tastes as good as it looks
Merry Xmas Nagi and Dozer!! Love it! The larger font makes it so easy for me to read. Thanks for the giveaway!! If I don’t win I intend on buying one when I’m in Japan in March. Where’s your favorite shop??