This year everyone has been crazy making the crinkle cookies I posted for Christmas. Last year though the craziness was all focussed on this cheese log. The flavour combination is just the best I’ve ever had, and I have other cheese log recipes on the blog. This recipe though with cranberries, pistachios, bacon and honey will be your obsession no matter the season. I originally posted this recipe for another blog but it’s here to stay now 🙂
One thing I think is really important to get that lovely look in the cheese log is really taking time to chop up the cranberries. I got sent a bunch of photos where people hadn’t chopped them and it looked quite chunky. So just make sure you chop the cranberries in particular :).
The honey is great in this recipe because it adds extra sweetness but also it acts as glue so that the cheese log looks lovely and smooth. I’m also including the recipe for these tortilla chips which are ridiculously easy and quick to make.
If you want to see how a cheeselog like this is achieved you can check out the video below where I make it with other ingredients, same concept:
Cheese Log with Cranberries, Pistachios, Bacon and Honey
Ingredients
For the cheese log
- 210 g cream cheese at room temperature
- 100 g pistachios (this weight is with shell, use 40g without shell)
- 100 g bacon
- 100 g cranberries
- 2 tbsp honey
For the tortilla chips
- 150 g tortillas
- Olive oil
- Salt
Instructions
For the cheese log
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Place the bacon slices one next to the other on a plate and cover with another plate (it splatters). Microwave for 2-4min or until crispy. Sometimes when it’s freshly cooked it doesn’t feel so crispy but if you see it’s dark in colour let it cool down to realize if it’s actually crispy. If it’s not you can cook it a bit more. Chop it up.
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Peel and chop the pistachios. Also chop the cranberries. For these ingredients we want the pieces to be small so that the finished log looks nice.
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Mix the bacon, pistachios, cranberries and honey.
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Mix half of it into the cream cheese.
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Stick two layers of cling film together and place the cream cheese in the center trying to create a long shape. Fold the cling film over and stick it close to the cheese so that it’s sealed lengthwise. Make sure there are no air bubbles. Close the edges also and move the roll back and forth on the table to get the nice rounded shape.
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Place the cheese in the freezer for 1 hour. This will help when coating it so it doesn’t fall apart.
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Spread out the other half of the pistachios, bacon, cranberries and honey on a chopping board or clean surface
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Remove the cling film from the cheese and roll it onto the ingredients. You can help fill out empty spaces with your fingers.
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Remove the edges with a knife for a polished look. These edges of course go to the chef ;).
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If you’re not going to consume the cheese log immediately wrap it in cling film and save it in the fridge.
For the tortilla chips
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Cut the tortillas in triangles.
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Paint them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
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Bake the tortillas in a preheated oven at 180C for 5-10min or until golden.
