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! 😂
New website looks beautiful! Congratulations!
Hi Nagi,
Wow, a new website? and a new logo! Looks great!
I was looking for a dip that was easy and would taste sensational to take to a bush Christmas picnic and here it is. Ticks all the boxes. Love the new website by the way.
Hi Nagi,
Loving the new website! Easy to use and it looks fantastic! Congrats!
Excited to try the new website! Enter me in the sweepstake please
I love the new look! And this cheese situation looks divine. I’m my next life I plan on being your neighbor and just waiting around for invites to dinner!
Congratualtions on your new site, Nagi – it is so clear and well set out.
I will miss the old printed format for your recipes though – instantly recognisable as RecipeTin Eats!
How is the picnic Xmas menu coming???
I am going to make this, minus the olives, and use lactose free so I can enjoy it too 🙂
Love your recipes and the new website!
COOL (and I’m allowed to use that word coz you do) new logo on my phone’s Google home page was the first thing I noticed last night (when it came time to pick today’s dinner!)
But oh Nagi … WHERE IS THE AUSSIE CUISINE??? 😂😂😂
Hi Nag
Love the new website but I really love the knife more !!!
Love anything cheese related, probably too much to be honest! 😉 And in terms of the website, thank goodness! It’s faster, cleaner, MUCH easier to navigate, and the colour scheme looks good (although it will take a while to get used to it after the years of fluoro green).
The only thing I would say needs a tweak so far is the shade of grey in the ingredients list, how the notes are listed. The current notes are a little too light and people with weaker eyesight or in direct sunlight might have trouble reading them. Actually, she applies for this comments field, just a little darker please.
Yes, I like your new site! The featured recipe can be easily located in the blue frame outline! Your pictures looks better too!
Snappy, zappy, blues and pinks! It’s flashy, but still you 🙂 Congratulations on the new website!
Just love your recipes! Have made a few of them. Looking forward in making this cheese loaf. Website is great. Keep up the good work!
The new site looks very professional and is easy to navigate! Easier to find one if your scrumptious recipes!!
What’s not to like about your website? It has your “mark” all over! By that I mean the JOY, the ENTHUSIASM and somehow the LOVE you exude! Love your recipes and your very positive vibes!!
Hello,
This is my 3rd time (fingers crossed) to post my comment as after submitting I don’t see my previous ones. 🙁
Anyway, the website looks great, Dozer looks cute and you’r recipes Nagi are delicious.
Merry Christmas and greetings from Calgary, AB
I love the new site Nagi, especially the colour scheme! this dish looks beautiful I have been looking for Christmas and NYE appetizers all day!
I love the new site, scrolls perfectly on my phone. To be honest when I cook your recipes it’s usually because you have emailed them or I google something I want to cook and your recipe usually comes up high in the list – in which case I always cook it as I have had soooo much success with your past recipes – beef brisket is now a regular and the lamb shanks with saffron rice my goodness amazing. Just the other day I cooked your chocolate cake – so moist! So the way they are catalogued is not something I have really explored yet but I’m sure I will find myself there in the near future looking for some meal inspiration:)
I LOVE the new look of your website! And I love the looks of that Christmas appetizer log. Poor Dozer-he needs a nap to get him ready for Santa..what a sweetie. 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Nagi.