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! 😂
Congratulations to you.Your website is delishishly enticing and fur baby cute at the same time.😍
I really like your new website design. I love your recipes!
Wow, well done, So easy to find all my favourite recipes in one place. Love the Japanese knife too. Dozer looks super gorgeous!
Hi Nagi, the new website is fabulous. I look forward to your great recipes each week. Always straight forward and not complicated. Enjoy you Christmas and keep up the good work. Of course, the life of Dozer, this week in the Christmas spirit always completes the week.
Cheers, Pam ❤️❤️❤️
Love your new website! I am not a very good cook but your recipes make me feel like one and I thank you for this!! My family love what I cook from your site and it is easy to navigate! Keep up the fantastic work Nagi, you are a very special, talented lady and I love reading about Dozer too! Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year to you and your family xx
Hi Nagi,
I will miss your previous logo and website – clean, bright, easy to navigate and I love green. The new website is still crisp and clean and looks good. The font size is excellent but grey, while looking good, is harder to read (more so on my laptop than phone). It is easier to navigate through the categories on the phone than laptop. On my laptop I need to position the website just right to be able to see some of the categories (eg lower categories in Cuisine) as the advertisement blocks these and you can’t scroll down beyond the advertisement. It I hadn’t looked first on the phone, I would probably not have known that you had a “South American” category. Printing still works well.
Categories I would like – Pressure Cooker, Meatballs (you have beef mince, but what about the other meats), Finger Food / Party Food. One of my favourite recipes, Swedish Meatballs, I found under Mediterranean which they are not (as well as mince and beef). Perhaps you need a European or Scandinavian or Northern European category.
I like also that you have a Blog View.
The photos are very crisp, the videos, blog and notes bring you into my kitchen when needing guidance.
I love that you are in Sydney so I can take advantage of your local tips, but also really appreciate that you provide “translations” and alternatives for people overseas and make your competitions eligible to people all around the world. I often feel excluded when visiting US blogs.
While there is a link to RecipeTin Japan, it is still not possible to get back to RecipeTin Eats within the site.
Finally, I am writing this because your blog / website is outstanding. You have given me the confidence and freedom to invite people for dinner without first calculating if I have the time to prepare a meal, as I know your recipes are easy and straightforward and always, always delicious. We rarely go out to restaurants now, preferring to try something from your blog. Thank you!
Love the recipe print on your new layout and the Italian Cheese Log will adorn our Christmas table. Thankyou for all your wonderful recipes. Dozer looks very cute in his. Christmas hat. Have a great Christmas.
Hi Nagi,
Love the new website, nice an bright with your delicious recipes. I’m really pleased cheeky Dozer is still a feature too! Look forward to many more scrumptious recipes. Merry Christmas!
love it! Cant wait to make the cheese log!
I LOVE the new site! Easy to find recipes, well organized. Gained weight just looking at the pictures. YUM!!!
Hi Nagi, your new web is sooo neat! Its easy to navigate and so much more colorful!! And love, love, love that Dozer got his own page now.
Much love,
xoxo
Love it
Website is great. Love all your recipes. Your site is my go to for everything i cook.
Hi Nagi, recipetineats new web is sooo neat!!! And love, love, love that Dozer have his own page now. Much love
xoxo
Justine
I am loving the new look and find it so much easier to navigate. It must be a big decision to give it such a huge overhaul but you have done a great job! Congratulations!
Web page where you go to print recipes is much better set out. Love your recipes and so easy to follow even for a plain home cook like me. Keep up the good work and thanks for the chocolate cake. Is a real winner and delicious.
Hi Nagi,
Your new website looks amazing. Just like your recipes!
Happy Holidays!
Great new look to the website! Nice for the new year 🙂
Like the new look.
Love Dozer!
Your new website is VERY attractive! I love your recipes and have made several of them.