Chocolate salami

Here’s a project for anyone who likes smashing and squashing things.  (Who doesn’t?)

D and I were served a slice of chocolate salami on Spiaggia’s dessert tray the other evening, and it was my favorite of all the desserts – chocolate studded with cookies and generously flavored with rum.

So I did a little research and came up with a recipe to create my own chocolate salami.  The proportions are fairly forgiving, I think – I saw many different versions, some with more chocolate vs butter, others with more cookies vs eggs, different liquors, etc – so you can play around.

The most important thing to note is that this is a no-cook recipe, so all your ingredients should be as fresh as possible, especially the eggs.

I bought savoiardi (Italian ladyfingers) at Eataly; they’re the ideal cookie to use here, light and crisp and big enough to break into pieces that look just like the white pieces in real salami.  They also have a lovely, subtle orange flavor.  Don’t use the soft, spongy American ladyfingers!  If you don’t have savoiardi, substitute another crisp cookie and consider adding a bit of Grand Marnier to the rum.

Making this salami is a bit messy, especially once everything is mixed and it’s time to shape it.  I ended up covered with chocolate…  But that’s why it’s fun!

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Chocolate salami

7 oz chocolate (I used half 85% and half 70%)
5 oz unsalted butter (12 tbsp)
2 oz sugar (1/4 cup)
2 eggs
3 or 4 tbsp dark rum
9 oz savoiardi or other crisp cookies

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and set aside to cool.

Crush cookies until the largest pieces are slightly bigger than peas.  Some of the crushed cookies will be dust-like, that’s ok.

Beat butter and sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy, then beat in eggs and rum.

Fold the chocolate into the butter mixture until smooth, then stir in the cookies until thoroughly coated.  Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 mins.

Lay out two long pieces of plastic wrap and spread the chocolate mixture into a rough cylinder, about 2 inches in diameter.  Secure the plastic wrap around it and use to smooth and shape the chocolate, then twist both ends, tightening the wrapping to compress the chocolate mixture into a sausage shape.

Cushion the wrapped salami with a dish towel, folded on either side to prevent it from flattening on the bottom, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or up to a week.  The flavors will develop nicely over time, so consider making a few days before serving.

If you’d like, dust the salami with powdered sugar and rub lightly to create an interesting faux effect.

This makes one very large chocolate salami, over a foot long!