Chocolate salami (Salame di cioccolato)

Preparation: 30 mins
No cooking required

Difficulty: Easy

This dessert is very popular amongst the Italian families and it is usually eaten with coffee, after lunch. It is sometimes served as dessert in trattorias, especially in those rural trattorias you can find along the Po river at the border between Lombardy and Emilia Romagna regions of Italy. There are many variations of the theme, of course, and this is down to the local culinary customs, as always happens in Italy. It's a rustic dessert that probably would never find a place in those fancy restaurants, but it is very good to eat and this is what really matters!

SERVES 8 

Ingredients (Metric & Imperial measurements): 

• 300 g (11 oz) Rich tea biscuits
• 150 g (5 oz) Butter (unsalted)
• 100 g (4 oz) Dark chocolate (I have used 85% cocoa)
• 100 g (4 oz) Caster sugar
• 2 Eggs (see note 1 below)
• 30 ml (1 fl oz) Dark rum
• OPTIONAL: see note 2 below
• These are Imperial and Metric measurements. U.S measurements available at italyum.com

Nutrition facts: Calories 650 per serving.

Ingredients (U.S. measurements): 

• 10 1/2 ounces Rich tea biscuits
• 5 1/2 ounces Butter (unsalted)
• 3 1/2 ounces Dark chocolate (I have used 85% cocoa)
• 3 1/2 ounces Caster sugar
• 2 Eggs (see note 1 below)
• 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) Dark rum
• OPTIONAL: see note 2 below

Note 1: this is a dessert containing raw eggs, so be sure you buy fresh, top quality eggs.

Note 2: as an option, try adding 40 g (1 1/2 ounces) of citrus peel and double the quantity of rum.

Directions: 

Cut the butter into pieces and let it warm to room temperature.

Break the chocolate bar into pieces and put them into a small bowl. Melt the chocolate using the bain Marie method.

While melting the chocolate, stir with a spoon to be sure that there are no lumps. When the chocolate is completely melted, set the bowl aside and let the chocolate cool a little.

Put the biscuits into a large bowl.

Break the biscuits using the back of a spoon; make them into crumbs.

When the butter is soft, work it with an electric whisk for few seconds and then start adding the ingredients as shown next (you can add all these ingredients without stopping to whisk).

Add the sugar.

Add the eggs.

Whisk for few seconds.

Add the melted chocolate.

Whisk for few seconds.

Add the rum and whisk again for few seconds.

Pour the mixture into the large bowl containing the biscuit crumbs. If using citrus peel, add this now.

With a spoon, work the mixture until all the biscuit crumbs are completely coated with the chocolate mixture.

The result should be a chocolate dough.

Take the dough and make the shape of a salami. Put the chocolate salami onto a layer of cling film and then wrap it with the film.

When wrapping, press the chocolate salami to make it compact. Then seal the sides and put the chocolate salami in the fridge for a couple of hours.

After a couple of hours, you can slice your chocolate salami and serve it with coffee or tea.

Enjoy it!