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 delicious!
Thank you, and your website looks great!
The new site is great. I love that you can hop through so easily to recipe, video and, of course, Dozer 😍. As for the recipe….. how do you do that? I’ve just finished eating my lunch and my mouth is watering for your cheese log 😋. Happy Christmas Nagi.
Love your new website! It covers everything needed to find a great recipe in one place. <3
Love so many of your recipes. Keep them coming. Your prime rib is one of my family favorites. Yo do a great job.
Love ❤️ Love 🧡 Love 💜 your new website!! So easy to follow with lots of appetising photos of yummy food.
My first impression of the website I was surprised, it changed completely!!!! Is very clean and easy to see the recipes.
About your recipes, I just love them all. I access your website pretty much every day, I make all those recipes with my boyfriend, we have such a great time cooking those recipes. I also cook on games nights, the meatballs were a success, it never go wrong… I’m from Brazil 😛
Great work on the website! It’s definitely more modern and easier to navigate. As someone that often searches for recipes by category, thank you for thinking of the end user.
PS this recipe looks delectable. It’s on my ‘things cook for Christmas’ list, and if it’s anything like the rest of your recipes, it’ll be a hit with the whole fam! Thanks for a great year.
Drooling over this fabulous cheese log!!! ❤️ the new look over here!
Excellent new site, easy to navigate!
The recipe for the log looks fantastic, I will certainly make it for the holidays, a fantastc crowd pleaser!
I can only dream of winning your knife!
Hi Nagi,
I am so impressed with your new site. Much easier to find stuff. Dozer must be so pleased that he has his own page. You can’t be human if you don’t like food and dogs. Your new site ticks both boxes. In your lead-up to your recipe for the Italian cheese log, you refer to sin dried tomatoes. A Freudian slip perhaps? Well done on the site again.
So much good work with website and all your recipes. My inspiration for many meals. Thanks Nagi! Hugs and Kisses to Dozer…
DOZER!!!! new format is slick and professional
Love it
This looks just right for us. What a great recipe. I think I need to try it out before I take it to friends (don’t think I can wait that long)!
The new website is nice. Very user friendly and responsive to search and find recipes.
Love the new look. I think Dozer rocks. GREAt job Nagi.
hey Nagi! loving the bold new look and this colour scheme really works, super exciting. the dropdowns are easy to navigate through and visually appealing too, well done. you dont have the sub dropdowns in collections tho?
Hi Nagi, great new website! Always waiting in anticipation for the next EASY recipe because even someone who shares a passion for cooking and creating needs some fresh ideas.
Wow! Your new website is bigger and brighter and the pictures are amazing!
Me encantan sus recetas.
Thank you.
Merry Christmas.
Great place
Blessings
Hi there Nagi and Dozer, Your New Webb Site design is just as edge cutting as the Chef’s Knife…..Congratulations and Blessings to you both for Christmas.
Frances from Sunny South Africa