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! 😂
Website looks great!
New site looks great!
Hi Nagi, I absolutely love your new website, so easy to find a recipe i’m after. I’m going to make your Italian cheese log for Christmas, it is ideal, & looks yummy. Have a great Christmas & New Year. Susan PS Love Dozer.
For a 61yo great to have a website that’s easy to navigate. So many great and easy to understand recipes. Merry Christmas.
Can’t wait to make this! Once again inspiring me , love your recipes !!
Nagi I loved your recipes. I am from Colombia and my English is not good but I am learning with your recipes. Changes are not easy for me and I loved the square with the nutrition information, but now it is easy to search a recipe according with the type or food that we want. Its is a big letter ans as before with perfect illustration and videos.
I think your new design is very modern and easier to read! I love your recipes Nagi, even my husband enjoys looking at all the food lol, one day I’ll even get him to cook something 🙂
The website looks fantastic and professional. It seems to scroll beautifully and loads quickly. I love your recipes.
I’m looking forward to exploring your new website!
As always Nagi, you make cooking entertaining well before the guests arrive. Your recipes are simple, full flavoured and easy to follow without the PC diet bullcrap, Since discovering you, I am even reluctant to share you with my friends, but excited to let them see what they are missing at the same time (want you all to myself lol). I love each and every one of your recipes I have used. Thankyou for opening up my eyes and reinvigorating my dormant taste buds to real food flavours! Love you Nagi
Beautiful redesign! The pages load quicker as well.
The website looks really clean and bright!
I love the way you give so many details to your recipes.
Making it easy for any home cook to do. Also I look forward to seeing what Dozer is up to.
Love the new web site much easier to use.
Love the new look and navigation but when I was using a recipe on my tablet, the text rearranged itself to accommodate an ad where there wasn’t one earlier.
Nagi, I LOVE the clarity of the content. It’s visually much more appealing…nice job!
Nagi, I LOVE the new website! The clarity of the content is visually appealing…nice job!
Love the new website Nagi 😉 and this recipe looks fab, you’ve always got fantastic recipes !
And how cute is Dozer xx
Dear Nagy,
Congratulations for your new website! It’s awesome!
My sister and I have been your fans for over a year. You always manage to show that cooking is simple and easy, even when it is not. Videos make things even easier, and what makes them perfect is that they are short and very clear for people who do not master English.
Often posting a new recipe is a reason to try to repeat it and bring variety to my family’s menu. It’s great to have classic recipes and explain the details.
The search on the website, before and now, is sufficient enough for me to find the recipes I am looking for. Perhaps now I notice the separation of recipes in groups and find it very appropriate and much better than dividing the food by type – salads, soups, etc.
The font and colors of the new site bring freshness and I personally like them much more.
The best of all is the presence of Dozer on the new site – it’s much more fun with Dozer! Hugs
Nagi, The web site seems to be more high definition than the last, the pictures and layout are significantly clearer.
Seasons Greetings