Chocolate Salami - Salame al Cioccolato

Ingredients

8oz. dark chocolate, 60% cacao or more, chopped
2T cocoa powder, sifted
7T butter, softened
2/3 cup super-fine granulated sugar
3 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
7 oz. tea biscuits, digestive cookies, or Marie biscuits
¾ cup shelled pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
¾ cup raw almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
3T Confectioners’ sugar

1. Place the chocolate in a medium-size, heatproof bowl and set the bowl on top of a pot of boiling water. Turn the heat off. Stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Add the cocoa powder.

2. Place the cookies/biscuits in a bowl or plastic bag and break into small pieces, about the size of a dime.

3. In a medium bowl of you mixer (or by hand), beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until combined. Note: the mixture will look broken.

4. Stir the vanilla, and cooled chocolate; mix until combined.

5. Fold in the broken cookies and nuts and mix well.

6. On your counter, tear off a large piece of plastic wrap, or parchment paper about 15 inches long, place half the batter down the middle of the plastic in a log shape. Roll the plastic up around the batter and, using your hands, roll it back and forth then twist the end closed. Now using your hands roll it back in forth to create a smooth cylinder similar to salami. Repeat with remaining batter.

7. Place the chocolate salami in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

8. Once the salami is set, place on a clean piece parchment paper on your counter. Unwrap the salami and place onto the paper; dust the salami with Confectioner’s sugar. Reroll in the parchment and place back into the refrigerator.

9. When ready to serve, unwrap, slice to desired thickness, and place onto a platter.

TIPS & TRICKS

• Super-fine sugar, also called baking sugar, can be made at home. Just place granulated sugar in a food processor and process until the sugar is as fine as sand. Voilà!! Super-fine sugar!!
• You can use any cookie, tea biscuit, or vanilla wafer-style cookie. I like the Marie biscuits because they are crunchy and just slightly sweet.
• To toast nuts, place them on a baking sheet in a 350° F oven for 5 minutes. Give the pan a shake and toast for an additional 3 minutes until slightly brown. Be careful: they burn easily! Chop as desired.
• You can use any nuts: hazelnuts, macadamia or walnut; all substitute very nicely.
• You could also substitute one of the nuts for dried fruits, figs, candies orange peel, or cranberries. All are delicious additions.
• I roll the salami into 2 logs, but you could roll it into 1 large one and slice it and serve it on a plate with a fork for dessert.
• Since this cookie has raw eggs, it is best enjoyed within a few days.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients

1 baguette
1T butter room temperature
4 cups milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
¾ cups granulated sugar
¼ tsp. salt
16 oz. dark chocolate, (60-70 % cacao) chopped
6 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Cut the bread into ½ inch cubes (8cups) and place on a baking sheet and allow it to sit out on counter and dry out overnight or place the sheet pan in a 325° F oven for 10-15 minutes to dry them out.

2. Take the tablespoon of butter and a paper towel and butter the bottom and sided of an 8x11-baking dish. Set aside.

3. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the milk, heavy cream, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the milk is warmed through about 4- 6 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Let sit until chocolate has melted, about 3-5minutes. Stir until well blended.

5. In a large bowl, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Add a small amount of the warm chocolate mixture to the eggs and stir until the egg mixture is tempered, then add the rest of the chocolate mixture. Stir until combined. Add the bread pieces.

6. Place a plate on top of the bread to keep it submerged

7. Let the pudding mixture sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Pre-heat the oven to 325º F.

8. Put a kettle or saucepan of water on high heat and bring to a boil.

9. Place the baking pan into a roasting pan. Pour the pudding mixture into the buttered baking dish.

10. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack of your 325º F. oven, carefully fill the roasting pan with the boiling water so that is come ½ way up the side of the pudding dish.

11. Bake for 45-50 minutes until edges are set but center is slightly loose.

12. Remove from oven careful remove pudding from water bath and place on cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes.

13. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately

Tips & Tricks

• This recipe is perfect for using old dried out bread. You can use any type you have: French, Italian, challah, and even leftover biscuits. Just cut it into cubes, measure out 8 cups, and allow it to dry out.

• When selecting chocolate look for the percentage of cacao in the chocolate. It should be marked right on the front package. The higher the percentage of cacao in the chocolate, the more intense the chocolate flavor and less sugar.