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! 😂
I really like the new colour scheme. I think it’s nice and modern.
Very excited to keep coming back.
Love the Dozer section. At 74 years old new recipes are often read but not tried too
Often. My 77 year old guy bulks at new things! But enjoy your letters
Love the new layout Nagi and looking forward to whipping this up for Christmas!
Love all the different categories on you new web page Makes it so much easier to find the recipe you’re looking for
I make so many of your recipes and haven’t had a bad one yet
Yours is the go to website when looking for something to cook
Hi Nagi! I love this new site design. The recipes are wonderful. The pictures are beautiful. I love every recipe you post and I look forward to seeing Dozer every time. Can’t wait to open my e-mail and see your recipes. I will try this fantastic looking recipe during Christmas.
Love the new website and am very glad you’ve expanded the Dozer section!
Nagi! Your new website looks marvelous! Your recipes are my favorites and always turn out well and my family never complains when served one! Dozer is darling! Best of luck to you!
Hi Nagi, love the new website, but do have one complaint. The text for the quantities in the “Nutrition” section and here in the comments is such a light gray color it is hard for an old man with poor eyesite to be able to read it. Also wish you would do more low carbohydrate recipes like this one. .
I usually hate change, but your new website is gorgeous! And this appetizer will be on our Christmas Eve menu. Yum. I tried clicking on the “More Christmas Appetiser Ideas” link but nothing happens (that might be a glitch?).
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes and Merry Christmas to you and Dozer.
Nagi, Thank you for all your wonderful recipes. We will definitely try the Italian Christmas log and this year will make our rib roast just as you do. Love your videos, quick and insightful. The new site love it. The only glitch seen is toggling through the tabs when returning to All Recipes some coding is pops up briefly. Love the color and that I can go straight to Dozer to see his cuteness then proceed to the recipe. Thanks for the Yummies.
Nagi, the new website looks fabulous! An upgrade is like anew hairdo; fresh and stylish, but the substance of you is the same, and it’s what keeps me coming back. I just love all your recipes. Keep it up! My family thinks I’m a kitchen genius, thanks to you!
Love the new look and the clean look when you print the recipes
I LOVE the new site. Recipes are always amazing.
Conjunctivitis on the new look website Nagi! Looks amazing and much easier to navigate and to hang out and browse around for inspiration. Well done 😀
The new format really “pops”,A sharp new image for recipe tin eats for the new year. Keep up the good work Nagi!
Love the new site able to quickly find the “Chef ” pork cubana recipe that I remembered from Easter…a while ago..now it can be my contribution to this years xmas bash.. great site and as always brilliant recipes and stories.. Happy x mas to you and yours
Great idea and very festive looking!
Hi Nagi
Thoroughly enjoyed browsing through your recipes and attempted on quite a number of them which turned out ver well indeed.
Another main attraction to your website is “Dozer” yes I am another dog mad individual.
The new website is great with the font which is easier to read.
Merry Christmas to you and family.
Cream cheese with sweet chilli sauce and crackers is how I always do it and now that looks and sounds BORING! in comparison to your recipe!!! So easy and looks de-Vine!
New website…. getting used to it, but loving the easy access!
I love this recipe. I’m gonna try it. Instead of crackers I may use ciabatta. Love the new website format and upgrade . It’s easier to fetch recipes !