If traditional Pigs In Blankets isn’t your thing this Christmas then how about a sausage recipe that features a key ingredient everyone loves…Chocolate! With no trace of meat in sight these choco delights feature all things festive including cranberries, amaretto, almonds, brandy and much more.
Chocolate Salami is really easy to make but looks impressive. You can give as a Christmas present, or serve slices with coffee on Christmas evening.
A staple dessert in Italy for years (where it is called Salame di cioccolato) it has become popular over here more recently.
Whilst the ingrediencies vary from recipe to recipe something that can’t be stressed enough is that your sausage is only as good as the chocolate that is used, so don’t scrimp on the quality of the choc you choose.
Chocolate Salami With Cherries, Nuts And Brandy
Website: melkkos-merlot.co.za
Serves: 10-12
Time Taken: 1 hour prep. 4 hours to set
Ingredients
For The Chocolate Salami:
- 100g dried cherries (can be substituted with dried cranberries)
- ¼ cup brandy (I use KWV 3-year old for all my cooking and baking)
- 250ml double thick cream (I used the Ayershire one from Woolworths)
- 100g 70% dark chocolate (I used Lindt)
- 3 x 80g milk chocolate slabs (I used Cadbury’s)
- 100g almonds, lightly toasted in a dry pan and roughly chopped (or a mix of almonds, hazelnuts and pistachio)
- 2 tbs cocoa
- 1 tbs icing sugar
To Serve:
- Extra cocoa and icing sugar, for dusting
- Fresh cherries
- Vanilla ice cream
Instructions
- Warm the brandy and pour it over the dried cherries. Allow the cherries to stand for at least half an hour, then drain them and set aside. Break the chocolate into blocks and place in a glass bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, ensuring that the water does not touch the bowl. Stir occasionally and remove from the heat the minute the chocolate has melted.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir through. Allow the mixture to cool for at least an hour to make it easier to shape. Once cooled, dust a large rectangle of baking paper with cocoa and spoon out the chocolate mix in a straight line of 20cm down the middle. Roll it closed to form a long sausage and massage gently until you have a nicely round fat roll. Twist the ends closed like a giant Christmas cracker.
- Place chocolate salami in the fridge for at least four hours to firm up. (This will keep in your fridge for a good week, so it’s an excellent pudding to make in advance.) You want this to be soft and luscious, so remove the chocolate salami from the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving. I am being deliberately vague here because if it’s forty degrees C in the shade, it’s obviously going to be softer a whole lot faster. Place the chocolate salami on a lovely platter, dust with icing sugar and cocoa for the pretty, and garnish with truckloads of berries. Carry it to the table and bask in the oohs and aahs.
White Chocolate Salami
Website: olivemagazine.com
Makes: 20 Slices
Time taken: 20 minutes + cooling
Ingredients
- White chocolate 500g, chopped
- Soft dried apricots 100g, cut into small cubes
- Pistachios 60g
- Whole blanched almonds 60g, halved
- Rice crispies 4 tbsp
- Dried cranberries 100g
- Shortbread fingers 2, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave. When it’s liquid and smooth, stir in the other ingredients and leave the mixture to cool and thicken. You want to be able to roll the mixture up in baking paper, so cool it in the fridge if you need to.
- Lay a large sheet of baking paper on the counter, tip the mixture into the centre of it in a thick log shape. Use the paper to help you roll the mixture up into a neat roll. Twist the ends and tie them tight. Put the roll in the fridge and let it set overnight. Slice with a sharp knife, through the paper, then peel the paper off the edges. Serve slices with whole almonds and coffee.
Cranberry And Amaretto Chocolate Salami
Website: greatbritishchefs.com
Makes: 2
Time Taken: 20 mins
Ingredients
- 125g of dried cranberries, sweetened
- 2 tbsp of Amaretto
- 150g of blanched almonds, whole
- 50g of pistachio nuts
- 220g of dark chocolate, good quality 70% cocoa solids, roughly chopped
- 75g of unsalted butter
- 75g of caster sugar
- 25g of soft light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 175g of amaretti biscuits
- 2 tbsp of icing sugar
Instructions
- Place the dried cranberries in a bowl and add the Amaretto liquor. Stir and leave to one side
- Spread the almonds and pistachios on a baking sheet and toast for 5–8 minutes until lightly toasted (keep an eye on them as they can burn easily). Remove from the oven and as soon as they are cool and roughly chop the nuts in half
- Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a large heatproof bowl and place on top of a pan of gently simmering water. It is essential that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, otherwise the chocolate may seize. Stir until the chocolate and butter have melted and are smooth
- Meanwhile, using another bowl, lightly whisk together the caster sugar, soft brown sugar, the whole egg and yolk until combined
- Add the mixture to the melted chocolate. Continue to cook over the gently simmering water, stirring continually until the mixture is hot to the touch and the eggs are cooked, which will take about 5 minutes. The chocolate mixture should now be silky and smooth
- Crush the amaretti biscuits slightly into a few pieces. The easiest way to do this is by placing them in a clean freezer bag and giving them a quick bash with a rolling pin
- Tip into the chocolate mixture along with the Amaretto-soaked cranberries and the nuts. Stir the mixture gently to combine thoroughly and leave to cool
- Lay out 2 large sheets of non-stick baking paper and halve the mixture evenly between the 2 sheets. Using the paper, roll into a sausage shape and twist each end. Refrigerate for at least 4–6 hours
- Unwrap the salami and dust with icing sugar to coat. Then you can either wrap the salami in a clean sheet of baking paper and tie with festive string to give as gifts, or serve cut into slices
*The salami will keep, wrapped in paper, in the fridge for a week
