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! 😂
Love the new look, even I can navigate my way around the site. Keep up the great work!
Just navigated your new website and it is very easy to use.
My only comment would be that using this on an iPad, the text is so close to the edge that I find it hard to read.
Love your recipes and made quite a few of them whilst travelling in our caravan around Oz. I always look forward to your next email. Thanks
Hi Nagi,
I really like your new website. Everything seems bigger, brighter and so realistic. I LOVE that Dozer has his own section. Even if a recipe didn’t seem like something I’d make, I would still HAVE TO look and see what Dozer was up to!
Congrats on the new website.
CindyH
I love your recipes and, the detail and tips given, means that they work out every time! The new website is fantastic! The photos of Dozer on his own page are absolutely picture perfect!!
Hi Nagi, love the new website. Don’t have to keep saving your emails to my recipe folder as they come in. Love the easy to go to tabs at the top to take you to certain sections. One recommendation would be to add an upwards arrow on the page that I’ve seen on websites that are off to the side and you click at anytime which will then take you straight to the top of the page (handy for smartphone users like me) 😊. Love your recipes and often forward them to others.
I absolutely love your new website. I can navigate from section to section with ease and all of this was done on my cell phone. BTW: the Italian appetizer looks delish!! Congrats on the website update!
Good morning gain Nagi. I am trying to scale down your Christmas Appetiser Italian Cheese Log, but with no luck. It changes to 1 instead of 15 or then scales up. Can you advise if I am doing something wrong?
Cheers
hhhmmm, *keeps for a week – that would barely last a day! Love the new website – so crisp and clean, great for searching!
Absolutely fabulous!!
Love the new look, I can see so many recipes which is perfect for when I procrastinate and start scrolling through your blog! (Which is ridiculously often!)
Really tempted to try this for Xmas starter too!
I Love the new website!!
The new website looks great. Love that Dozer now has his own spot!
Will give the log a go this weekend
Love the new website – well done. I also love reading about Dozer – I had to put my beautiful Jacko to sleep two months ago after nearly 16 years with him.
Hi Nagi: Love the new website–recipes, photos and videos are so easy to find and try! Every recipe I’ve tried so far has been delicious and easy! Definitely will try the cheese log…looks great.
I was pleased to see your website had changed. It flows much better, and the ads don’t slow down the screen loading anymore. The upgrade has the recipes printing the content better. I’m a fan!
Hi Nagi!!!
I love the new website. It’s very easy to read the recipes and the videos are great also. I love your recipes keep up the good work and thank you!!!
Love all your recipes. They all have been so far winners in our household.
New website is awesome! Of course love Dozer, from a family of 3 fur babies we adore:-).
LOVE the new website look and how it works!! I found myself printing recipes while browsing the site and realized that’s no longer necessary – the recipes can now be easily found whenever I want to use them.
You’ve put a whole new spin on displaying your beautiful photos and making the site easy to use, Nagi. It does credit to your delicious recipes and sweet Dozer. Thanks!
Peggy
Wow, the new look to your website is great! And yes to the new recipe index.
More to the point, I fully intend to make the cheese loaf, subbing in artichokes and Parmesan, mmmm!
Happy holidays, Nagi, and to all your lovely readers!
Hi Nagi,
This recipe looks amazing! I’m going to make it this weekend for a party! Great timing!
So far I love the look of this recipe. Haven’t had time to peruse the new website but looking forward to it.
I love how much extra detail you put into explaining your recipes and how to do things and why and the explanation of ingredients.
Thanks for your amazing recipes.
I’ve also just been diagnosed celiac so will teach myself how to substitute things so I can continue to make as many of your dishes as possible.
Have a great Christmas xxx