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 is definately easier to read . Will be trying the cheese log over christmas I love the savoury look will go down really well with drinks & friend’s on Christmas by the pool. Make ahead so good. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and thank you.
Hi Nagi, this is a cheese lover’s dream. I’ve added to my Christmas BBQ list. Thanks for the recipe! Also, nice new layout for the website! Merry Christmas! Rhian.
I love your recipes and I look forward to the ones from your mother. I live in US but my son and daughter (she is Japanese) live in Japan. Visit them once a year but I can make some of your mom’s dishes and think of my family.
Hi Nagi! I love your new website. Really easy to use. Am looking forward to making the Italian cheese log. Merry Christmas! Steph
Hi Nagi!
Love the new look! The layout is great, and I love the recipe ‘box’ and the font you used! Also, Dozer’s page is fantastic!! Awesome work!!
great recipe & love the new website, Congratulations!
Looks yummy! I wouldn’t have thought of making an Italian flavored cheese log – great idea and so festive. I love that you didn’t take the time to reshoot the video to include the sour cream and simply noted that you had to add it off-camera. You’re my kinda gal!
Hi Nagi, I love cooking and followed all your menu. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas cox
Your new website ia awesome. I love all your recipes and your mother’s too.
Looks incredible!
A doozy website just got doozier!
Your recipes arenot to be missed for their variety and tastiness. Always so interesting.
This looks delectable! Not huge fans of sun dried tomato around here- but I bet this would be equally fabulous (although a little less seasonal in appearance) with olive tapenade on top.
I really like the website’s facelift! I do find the recipe scaler harder to access and manipulate on mobile. Other than that it’s a better use of the visual space!
Love it! Recipes so easy to read and follow not to mention searching earlier recipes easy too.
New website looks great! Always love your recipes, full of flavour. Keep up the great work!
I go to a foodie friend’s for New Year’s every year and THIS IS WHAT I’M BRINGING!!!! Thank you!
The new site is awesome!
Thank you for always pushing for improvements, it is a real pleasure learning to cook through your recipes.
Love from the Netherlands, Angela
New website is great, cannot find fault (still looking!) organised and ordered well, the best thing you provide has to be the alternative ingredients in the notes, most recipes don’t, and when you live some where that is not brilliant at providing ingredients from other nations it is a huge help, thanks and merry Christmas!
Website is fantastic, Easy to navigate, great categories with a wide range of different recipes. Love reading your recipes -easy instructions with great additional recipe notes.
Love the new website!! So easy to use 🙂
Can’t wait to make this cheese log. I’m obsessed with your recipes, every single one I’ve made has been a huge hit with my family! xx