Monday 29 December 2014

Chocolate salami - a Christmas gift

A few days before Christmas I saw two of my favourite bloggers post a recipe for Chocolate Salami on the same day.  Hence while shopping at the supermarket, it suddenly seemed a great idea to make it for E as a Christmas present.  I looked up the recipe on my phone and added the ingredients to the trolley.

It appealed not just because it was full of yummy things, but also because it seemed quite easy to put together.  The most challenging moment was when I decided to tie on the string to make it look like a hung salami.  It took me a while to work out it was just a matter of looping a knot over the salami for each string loop.  Then it was easier but I still had to get the loops lined up neatly.

The string work was trickier because I had thought it would be a fun gift to make with Sylvia.  She got a bit distracted when it came to rubbing the icing sugar into the chocolate log.  It was sticky work with a small child helping out!

Explaining to Sylvia that we were making chocolate salami which was to look like meat but did not contain any meat was a little confusing.  She asked what salami was.  I didn't have any cultural references that she understands.  Yet once she understood it was a bit of fun, we shared a giggle at two vegetarians giving a meat-eater a meat-free piece of meat.

E was pleased with his gift - once he had ascertained it was not a blunt weapon!  He then asked where I had bought it.  Ahem, good sir, we made it with our own hands.  He was most impressed.  However I think I might have eaten more of it than him. 

I really loved the rich chocolate studded with nuts, cranberries, ginger and shortbread.  It is very good with vanilla ice cream.  My mum loved it too and suggested some chilli would be good in it.  I would prefer orange zest.  The original recipe had booze in it but I wanted it to be child friendly.  It was so easy and so yummy that I can see this making it onto our list of gifts to make in future.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: How to make a gingerbread house
Two years ago: Christmas Day with mince pies
Three years ago: CC Lebkuchen
Four years ago: Nut roast parcels and potato snowmen
Five years ago: Christmas Day panforte and more
Six years ago: Christmas, Leftovers and Vegan Mayonnaise
Seven years ago: My Christmas Nutloaf

Chocolate salami
Adapted from Not Quite Nigella and A Travelling Cook

200g chocolate (I used 70%)*
75g butter or margarine*
60g shortbread, chopped small*
1/3 cup slivered almonds, roasted
1/3 cup pistachios, roasted
3 tbsp cranberries
2 tbsp glace ginger

1/3 cup icing sugar (approximate)

Melt chocolate and butter.  Mix in shortbread, nuts, cranberries and ginger.  Cool in the fridge for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Lay a large piece of clingfilm on the table and spoon out the cooled mixture in a chunky sausage shape.  Wrap in clingfilm, twisting the ends, and use your hands to smooth out the sausage through the plastic.

Chill in the fridge until hard.  We did ours overnight but I took it out once or twice as it was cooling and moulded the shape a little.

Once hard, unwrap, sprinkle with icing sugar (we did this over an oven tray) and rub along the sides to make it look like aged salami.  Tie string about the salami to give the look of salami that has been hanging.  (Knot a loop around one end.  Then make a knot and before you tighten it, loop it over the salami and tighten it with a little length of string running long the salami towards your loop.  Keep repeating until you get to the other end.  I found this a little fiddly but fun.)

Wrap and gift to friend or family. 

*NOTES:
We used vegan chocolate and vegan margarine.  It would be quite easy to use vegan biscuits or even gluten free biscuits if your recipients has these dietary requirements.

The quantities are quite flexible, depending on taste and how big you want it.  I downsized Not Quite Nigella's recipe to make a smaller salami but used more shortbread, after seeing that A Travelling Cook used many more biscuits.

This chocolate salami can be kept in the fridge especially in a hot Australian summer.  However I prefer to eat at room temperature and it seems to keep well out of the fridge while the weather is mild.

On the Stereo:
Oz: Missy Higgins

32 comments:

  1. I've heard great things about this chocolate salami. Looks awesome!

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  2. I've seen a few people make chocolate salami this year. Looks very salami-like and I bet it tasted lovely. The string definitely adds authenticity. I am sure it was a very well received present! Happy New Year x

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    1. Thanks Kate - I agree that the string makes it look more authentic even though that was the fiddliest part of making it

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  3. I've seen a few chocolate 'salami' recipes on blogs too, but it had not dawned on me once to make it for D and now I wish I had, he would have loved it for Christmas. I guess I will just have to make it some day soon - just to show him I love him. Its pretty cool and I am impressed you made it for E. I've caught up with my blog reads and your Christmas reflections and past posts, always nosy with whats happening in your kitchen :) Wishing you and your little family Happy New Year

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    1. Thanks Shaheen - there is always next christmas - I am sure it will be here before we know it :-) Or there is always valentine's day! hope D loves it. I am way behind on my blog reading - it has been a busy festive season.

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    2. As you know I have made this, but wondered if you saw a different take on it as 'Chocolate Haggis' see here http://www.foodiequine.co.uk/2017/01/chocolate-haggis-aka-shortbread-and.html

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  4. Your chocolate salami looks the best i've seen! It really does look like the kind my father loves. Will have to try making this for him. It's like the ultimate fridge cake. So pretty with the nuts and cranberries

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    1. Thanks Katie - it is quite like fridge cake - but I like that the add ins are quite festive.

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  5. That looks sooo good! Especiall with the pistachios peeking through, very festive. Merry Christmas to you and yours :)

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    1. Thanks Shauna - yeah I love the colour of the pistachios - happy new year to you

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  6. Oh, what a brilliant idea - I will have to try this before next Christmas :) I suspect I'd have to re-title it though as salami just puts me off! Probably that would pass when I tasted it though...

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    1. Thanks Kari - I found the salami name amusing and fun - and like Katie says without the salami pun it is just another fridge cake - though I think this is a particular sort of italian one which is maybe why they do it like a salami

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  7. I agree with Kari the name salami puts me off. The recipe looks like the rocky road I make but in log form. It looks delicious.

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    1. Thanks Lorna - yes it is the log form that makes it unusual and different from other fridge cakes/hedgehogs/rocky roads I have made before and that is why I like it being called a salami but I understand why you might not like the name

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  8. I saw this on Nigella's Christmas TV show and thought it was very cool! Hers had egg in I think but nice to know it works well without. Yours looks very convincing!

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    1. Thanks Emma - I would love to see Nigella make it - both the recipes I saw had decided to leave out the egg which is one of the reason it appealed to me

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  9. Love the look of your blunt weapon :) my mum often makes a Hungarian version of this, I made it in the cooking classes I ran years ago, so wonderful and simple! But mine never looked as good as yours, I love the string and icing sugar

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    1. Thanks Kate - is it on your blog - am curious about what a hungarian version would have in it

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    2. Not on my blog but probably only Hungarian on the sense that my mum is Hungarian and she makes it :) she makes it with ground hazelnuts and walnuts, butter, sugar and chocolate I think

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  10. aren't they great?! I made the one from Cate's Travelling Cook blog and it's such a good base for adding other stuff. I love the green of the pistachios in yours!

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    1. Thanks Veganopoulous - it is a great recipe because you can chop and change the add-ins - I noticed yours on your christmas post and it looked great - Cate's had a lot more biscuits so maybe I can try that some time

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  11. Aww thank you for the shoutout Johanna! I was amazed at how quick and easy it was to make. And how much like salami it was. I served some to my vegetarian in laws who were so delighted to eat a "vegetarian salami"! :D

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - it sounds like a great gift for your in-laws - like an indulgent bliss ball for them :-)

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  12. What a fabulous idea. I kind of wish I had seen this earlier, too... although I don't think there is ever a time not to be eating chocolate. :)

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    1. Thanks Janet - it was serendipitous seeing the recipes before Christmas or I never would have thought of it

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  13. I saw this on Lorraine's blog and loved it - so Christmasy and such good presentation. I would have liked to have tried to make it but alas - the season went by in a whirlwind. You did a great job of recreating it xx

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    1. Thanks Charlie - you made some amazing christmas bakes so I can see why you didn't have time for it - and yes the season did whizz by - hard to believe it is just about over

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  14. Your chocolate salami looks fabulous! Glad Sylvia enjoyed making it with you. Happy New Year to you and your family Johanna.

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - it was nice to give E a present that Sylvia had helped make

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  15. How gorgeous! Looks very impressive as a gift. I used to get my daughter to do all the sticky messy parts of cooking (like rubbing the butter into the flour) because she loved anything messy. She's still a bit like that actually, and she's 18 now!

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    1. Thanks Linda - that gives me great hope - if Sylvia turns into a fine baker like your daughter I will be very happy

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  16. Oh wow! What a delicious & fun gift. I just love homemade gifts - I would have been thrilled to receive this =)

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