Marinated Olive & Cheese Ring
We love to make meals into celebrations, and antipasto always kicks off the party for Italian dinners. This one is almost too pretty to eat, especially when sprinkled with pimientos, fresh basil and parsley. —Patricia Harmon, Baden, Pennsylvania
Ingredients
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cold
- 1 package (10 ounces) sharp white cheddar cheese, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1/3 cup pimiento-stuffed olives
- 1/3 cup pitted Greek olives
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jar (2 ounces) pimiento strips, drained and chopped
- Toasted French bread baguette slices
Reviews
I've made this for 3 parties already and everyone loves it. I used the whole can of black olives, green olives and kalamata olives. Tripled the dressings as well and increased the galic. I created mini tacos by layering the two cheese between thin slices of pepperoni.
This was a hit, with some of my guests immediately asking for the recipe! It looks quite festive for the holidays too!
I haven't made this yet, but I gave it 5 stars because I just KNOW by looking at it
Made this for a potluck dinner and it was a huge hit. I made it exactly as written. Very easy to prepare the night before. Served with toasted baguette slices. I’ll be making it again very soon.
Some of our older family members raved about this recipe as " this is antepasto from back in the day .... this is how it should be made". I added rolled traditional hard salami and placed between layers of cheese. No other changes should be made to this EXCELLENT recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Delicious!!!
I MADE THIS FOR THE FAMILY TODAY AND IT WAS A HIT, NEXT TIME I WILL USE A MILDER CHEESE, BUT OTHERWISE THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER..
The stars don't seem to be working but I give it 5! This is a great recipe and easy, a little time consuming if you want it to look perfect. I sliced the cream cheese but used a knife to kind of stick it to each piece of cheddar (the first time I used extra sharp and it was too much flavor), I have it chilling now with organic white cheddar and it's going to be better. Be sure to use a platter that is deep with sides to prevent the marinade from overflowing. I'm using small rosemary and sea salt packaged crostini with it.
I would not change one thing about this recipe. Not only is it beautiful with minimal effort. It s savory and delicious. Dont let the cream cheese part scare you away, the marinated cream cheese is so good it doesnt even taste like cream cheese anymore. This is a definite keeper. Everyone was wowed by the presentation and the taste!
This was the easiest appetizer I made during the holidays. I will definitely serve it again. I followed some suggestions and substituted the cheese selections. I used a soft mozzarella, feta slices, provolone and gruyere. I also added some artichoke hearts as suggested. I've taken it to several get togethers and have been asked for the recipe many times.