A grazing board is one of the best party snack platters to have during a social gathering – pool party or a simple, intimate evening with cocktails. Building a charcuterie board means that there is something to add and enjoy for everyone, with every kind of taste palette. The addition of a cheese log or ‘cheese ball’, as it was more commonly known, is a great ‘vintage’ touch to add to your array of meats and cheeses. Doubling up as a dip and as a spread to enjoy with toasted baguette, chips or even stone fruits like cherry or plums, the cheese log is a no-brainer to feature. We’ve come up with four delicious cheese log recipes to make ahead of time that you can simply place as the centrepiece and construct a charcuterie board around.
Garlic-Herb Cheese Log
Image Credits: Erren's Kitchen
With barely any time needed for prep, this simple garlic-herb flavoured cheese log is one of the more classic combinations to include. Best tasting when eaten with crackers or crusty bread, simply freeze any leftovers to smear as a filling for your sandwiches and wraps, or just enjoy as it is with some potato chips on the side. Get creative and use lesser-known, locally-sourced herbs if you wish to skip or replace any of the ones in the recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tub goat cheese/cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped dill
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons chopped almonds
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Combine the herbs, garlic, lemon zest and juice in a bowl and toss in the cream cheese.
- Use a spatula to fold everything well before seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Scoop the contents onto a square-cut cling film sheet and roll gently into a firm log.
- Refrigerate for 3-4 hours, to let the flavours mingle and the shape to hold, before unwrapping and serving.
Italian Cheese Log
Image Credits: RecipeTin Eats/YouTube
With a hefty dose of Italian seasonings, bell peppers and sweet cherry tomatoes, this cheese log has all the classic flavours from Italian cuisine. Not only is it extremely pretty to look at, it makes for an inexpensive replacement to cheese boards that could burn a hole in your pocket. Use this cheese log as the only dairy addition to your picking board and enjoy with rich, sliced cold cuts like salami and mortadella. Also works beautifully when a few spoonfuls are dolloped over a pizza base.
Ingredients
- 500 grams cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped basil
- 5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ cup bell peppers, chopped
- ¼ cup green olives, chopped
- ¼ cup spring onions, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Whisk together the cream cheese and sour cream until smooth and season with enough salt and pepper.
- Toss in the remaining ingredients and scoop on to a cling film sheet. Roll into any desired shape and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, until firm.
Molten Cheese Log
Image Credits: Carve Your Craving
An interesting way of presenting a cheese element to your grazing table, a molten cheese log brings back the nostalgia of a luscious cheese fondue, but in more fun ways. It is spicy, has more flavour and can be used as a dipper for just about anything. Feeling like a party? Add fresh chopped onions and tomatoes to transform this into a queso sauce to eat with tacos and ladle over nacho chips.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cream cheese
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- ½ cup processed cheese
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Heat the butter in a pan and add the flour to let it bloom and eliminate the raw taste.
- Add the chopped onion and walnuts and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the nuts are toasty.
- Add the cheeses, heavy cream and cayenne pepper to let everything melt together slowly.
- Once the texture resembles molten cheese, season with lots of black pepper and transfer to a fondue pot to keep warm while serving.
Fig Jam & Pumpkin Seeds Log
Image Credits: Pinterest
Yes, it is almost impossible to make a cheese log seem ‘healthy’ but it sure can be upgraded with healthy ingredients and a little touch of sweetness, for a log that is unique and appeals to people with sweeter inclinations on a charcuterie board. Pairing cheese with a classic fig jam is one of the easiest ways to incorporate a sweet element into a savoury recipe, without having the final dish be too cloying or too rich.
Ingredients
- 250 grams goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons fig jam
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Add a layer of the pumpkin seeds to a cling film wrap and spread the fig jam on top of it.
- Season the cream cheese with salt and pepper and scoop over the jam and pumpkin seeds layer.
- Roll into a firm log and refrigerate for 3-4 hours, before serving.