This post is all about outstanding chocolate flavor. The salami is a little bit troublesome to make, but it’s not overly difficult. If you like chocolate, it’s well worth the effort.
Note that to get the authentic real salami look, you need to dust the outside with powdered sugar. It looks great for awhile, until the sugar breaks down and is absorbed into the chocolate. Not that it’s bad, but just keep in mind that it looks really cool for only so long. The deliciousness, however, does remain.
The main key to this is to use high-quality chocolate. I’m not a chocolate snob, but if you can get your chocolate and cocoa powderer this recipe from a chocolate confectionary, rather than a grocer, your chocolate salami will taste like it was made by a professional.
Also please note that this recipe calls for two raw eggs. If you’re concerned about that—and I am—you can use pasteurized eggs (I didn’t), or at least be sure to wash the shells carefully before using. Keep in mind that if you eat only a couple slices of this at a time, you’re eating very little raw egg, so the chances of infection are remote. If you eat all of this recipe at once, you’ve got bigger problems than salmonella.
This recipe is based on the one from our friends at the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
What you’ll need:
- 10 oz dark bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate—I used semi-sweet
- 1 stick (0.5 cups) salted butter
- 0.5 cups almonds—I substituted macadamia nuts to good effect due to an almond allergy
- 0.25 cups shelled pistachios
- 0.25 cups candied ginger
- 0.5 cups amaretti cookies, or any crisp cookie
- 1T fresh-grated orange rind
- 0.25 cups heavy cream
- 2 eggs
- 2T amaretto, or your favorite liqueur
- 2T cocoa powder
- 2T confectioner’s sugar
What to do:
Prep your chopped ingredients:
Toast the almonds, if you wish. Set aside, to cool and later chop.
Break up the cookies in a small plastic bag by smacking them with a rolling pin or something like that. You want them to be about 0.5-inch-sized pieces or a little smaller. Whatever you do, don’t turn them into powder. Set aside when ready.
Using a sharp chef’s knife and cutting board, chop the almonds, pistachios, and candied ginger. The nuts and ginger should be chopped fairly finely, but not too small. The idea is not to have pieces that are so large that the knife catches on them when cutting the finished product.
Now you can get cooking.
Put the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler or equivalent over low heat, until melted. Do this low and slow to keep the chocolate from scorching. Once melted, remove from heat and add the cocoa powder, mixing well to remove any lumps.
Crack the two eggs into a small bowl to which you’ve already added the heavy cream, then whisk until smooth. Add this to the chocolate mixture, and then add the amaretto or whatever liqueur to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
Let the mixture cool down a bit, then add the chopped nuts and candied ginger, crushed cookies, and grated orange rind. Mix well so all the little bits are covered in chocolate and as evenly distributed as possible. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for about 30 to 60 minutes.
After 30 minutes of cooling, check to see how solidified the mixture has become. It should be significantly hardened, yet still be malleable enough to shape into a log. If your fridge is really cold and the mixture is too solid, take it out to warm it up before shaping it.
When it’s at the right level of solidification, it’s time to roll the mixture into shape: place it on a piece of 20-inch-long plastic wrap, and using your hands, shape it roughly into a log about 2.5 inches in diameter, and about a foot long. It may look kind of rough, but don’t worry; the next steps will make it look better. One thing you can do at this point is cut the log in half and make two salamis, should you want to give one to a friend.
Now wrap the plastic tightly around the log, twisting the ends snuggly to squeeze the mixture in. Use twist ties to fasten the ends. Roll the log back and forth within the plastic wrap to round it out and pack it tightly. Put the log(s) back in the refrigerator for at least six hours before serving.
When ready to serve, remove from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap. Roll the log(s) in confectioner’s sugar and shake off any excess.
Note that if you want to have that “real salami look,” you can wrap kitchen twine around the log, salami-style. There are plenty of videos online that show how to do this. You can slice right through the twine when it comes time to serve, so no worries there.
Let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then slice and serve. About 0.25-inch slices or a little thicker work best.
If giving as a gift, remember that it must be kept refrigerated at all times until serving. Remember, it has raw eggs in it.
