Posted on Friday, 3rd June 2011 by Grace
My daughter, Liana, has been all over me in the last couple of weeks about all the little containers of leftover melted chocolate and toasted nuts I have in the fridge. That’s what I get for asking her to clean out the fridge; apparently it’s my fault the fridge is in such disarray. Hmm…I think not! Regardless, it was time to put all that luscious chocolate to good use. I decided to make Salame al Cioccolato (Chocolate Salami).
Salame al Cioccolato is an Italian Dessert traditionally made using dark chocolate, cookies and dark rum. Like most recipes the traditional has been altered over the years and today you’ll see versions with nuts and dried fruit.
If you have little ones, it’s a fun afternoon activity, there’s no baking involved and the kids can enjoy making their very own mini Chocolate Salami. Remember if you’re making a kid-friendly version, exclude the rum and add a little more vanilla extract. Cut up mini marshmallows could be used to resemble the fat in savoury salami.
I like to serve my Salame al Cioccolato with an after dinner liqueur. Instead of serving in slices I generally leave it whole and present on a wooden board allowing my guests to slice their own piece. Really no different to when I am serving an array of Italian meats and cheeses.
It’s a great conversation piece; usually sparks a conversation about traditional dishes each of the guests have grown up eating. And the conversation usually puts everyone at ease, an icebreaker if you will, especially when introducing couples for the first time.
Salame al Cioccolato may be simple in preparation but don’t let that fool you, it delivers huge in flavour – rich chocolate, a trio of toasted nuts, and just a hint of rum – delicious! Every time I make this dessert I find myself questioning whether it’s the taste or the texture that entices me. The one thing I am certain of, the wonderful soft, melt-in-your-mouth decadent chocolate combined with the amazing crunch via the toasted nuts and cookies never have me questioning if one slice is ever enough – No!
Wishing you all a sunny, warm and relaxing weekend. In case you missed yesterday’s post, I shared another quick and easy Italian dessert - Torta di Fragole e Crema Soffice di Yogurt. It’s light, refreshing and perfect for summer entertaining.
Salame al Cioccolato (Chocolate Salami)
**Please Note - The Chocolate Salami will be firm when you first remove it from the refrigerator (you can see that in the photos). It is best to cut slices immediately but then allow the slices to come to room temperature before serving (the slices will then become soft and luscious!).
This recipe uses raw eggs; please make sure to use only the freshest of eggs.
- 200 g (7 ounces) good quality dark chocolate, 70%, finely chopped
- 100 g (7 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 g (½-cup + 2 tablespoons) caster (superfine granules) sugar
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) dark rum
- ½-teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 15 g (2 tablespoons) unsweetened cocoa, sifted
- 250 g (about 9 ounces) plain cookies (tea biscuits, digestive cookies), coarsely chopped
- 70 g (½-cup) almonds, toasted, finely chopped
- 70 g (½-cup) hazelnuts, toasted, skinned, finely chopped
- 48 g (1/3-cup) unsalted pistachios, toasted, finely chopped
- Confectioners’ (icing) sugar, sifted, for work surface
- In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of just simmering water, melt chocolate until smooth. Remove from heat, set-aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together butter and sugar until creamy.
- Add the eggs; whisk until well combined.
- Add the rum and vanilla extract; whisk to combine.
- Add cocoa to cooled chocolate; stir until well combined.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk until well combined.
- Add the cookies, almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios to egg-chocolate mixture; stir to well combine.
- Cover and chill chocolate-cookie mixture until firm, about one-half hour.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, sift confectioners’ sugar onto a clean work surface. Transfer chocolate-cookie mixture to work surface.
- Using your hands, form chocolate-cookie mixture into a log (resembling a salami) about 5-cm (2-inches) in diameter.
- Using the fine mesh sieve, sift confectioners’ sugar over surface of log to well coat.
- Place the log on a sheet of plastic wrap; wrap tightly. Twist the ends by grasping both ends of the wrap and rolling towards you several times (wrap as tightly as possible to keep the log shape). To secure, tie a knot at each end.
- Chill in refrigerator for at least three hours, preferably overnight.
- To serve, cut into slices or place on a wooden board and allow your guests to slice on their own.
- Enjoy!
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- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks and Almonds
- Chocolate-Hazelnut Spritz Cookies
- Torta di Fragole e Crema Soffice di Yogurt-Yogurt Mousse Cake with Strawberries
- Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta with Port Cherry Sauce
Tags: after school treat, afternoon tea, almonds, chocolate, chocolate dessert, confections, cookies, dessert, desserts, food, food photography, food photos, hazelnut, Italian desserts, pistachios, quick desserts
Posted in Baking Mise en Place, Chocolate Confections, Fillings, Frostings & Dessert Sauces, Recipes
Comments (18)
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June 3rd, 2011 at 1:19 pm
Chocolate salami sounds pretty darn cool! I’m sure is a smash hit at parties
Thanks for sharing!
June 3rd, 2011 at 1:24 pm
what a *creative* idea! I love the photos!
June 3rd, 2011 at 2:34 pm
I have always wanted to make chocolate salami. What a fun project to do with the kids. Your presentation is inspired!
June 3rd, 2011 at 3:34 pm
My kind of salami:)
June 3rd, 2011 at 6:26 pm
This is so beautiful and such a great idea. I’d eat it all in a second!
June 3rd, 2011 at 10:23 pm
That’s just amazing. Never seen chocolate salami before – you had me fooled!
June 4th, 2011 at 10:16 am
Oh my goodness Grace – have the Charcutepalooza people seen this? It’s wonderful! It definitely looks like a fun project to do with kids or else a fancy addition to a cheese and fruit platter. Happy weekend!
June 4th, 2011 at 10:22 am
It’s so creative. I’ve never seen anything like this before. What a fun thing it would be to serve at parties!
June 4th, 2011 at 10:30 am
Thanks Mardi, Charcutepalooza people? Not sure who they are.
June 4th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
I’ll tweet it at them – they will love it
Charcutepalooza is a group of us working our way through Ruhlman’s “Charcuterie” book this year. It’s fun but chocolate salami is way cool too!
June 4th, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Thanks Mardi! What a coincidence I was hunting for Michael’s “bacon how to” just this morning.
June 4th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
How wonderful to serve the chocolate salame whole! I also make this recipe and have blogged about it October 2010 though I make an eggless version. (I’m squeemish about raw eggs!). I love the way you have wrapped it and serve it whole on a wooden board! Brilliant! I love your photos, as ever!
June 5th, 2011 at 6:00 am
This looks awesome! I am going to share it with the world.
June 5th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Grace – this is so interesting and creative – a great way to use all odd bits and pieces of chocolate and nuts for sure! Gorgeous photos!!
June 5th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Penny you are so sweet – thank you!
June 5th, 2011 at 11:22 am
The raw eggs get me a little squeemish too, I always make sure I get the freshest farm eggs when I am making. I like your eggless version, will definitely try if I don’t have fresh eggs on hand.
June 5th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
only that the recipe is no way near Italian, check your sources better next time.
Biscuit salami is a very well known desert in eastern Europe
June 5th, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Hi Mysty I appreciate your comments but I’m not sure if you read my post I did mention the traditional recipe was different but over time, like most recipes, other versions have been introduced. I added the nuts because for one I had so many leftover nuts it was a great way to use them up and two, I love the flavour of the toasted nuts with chocolate. I hope you’ll understand I was not trying to pass this off as the traditional. Often times recipes will vary from region to region as well.