Chocolate salame to indulge yourself

Where does time go? I wonder whether it is my impression or it seems to disappear. Some time ago a friend gave me a book entitled "Why time speeds up when you get older"; perhaps that might give me the answer - I am getting older every year I add an extra candle to the birthday cake. 

But I realize that I had promised you to give a full menu from one of my secret suppers; it started well but we seem to have skipped to pudding all the way from starter!....Well, I hope you'll forgive me. I'll fill up the gaps later on.

This is not a cake to have at one's birthday, but for sure a real treat, something you can indulge your friend with at the end of relaxed and chatty evening, with a cup of Italian coffee or a glass of sweet wine. And I assure you, a slice follows another!

I remember when we had it for our afternoon snack when we were children. My grand-mother loved to make it, in fact she loved to make any type of sweet cake in the shape of a salame, perhaps because she liked tricking us or at least the thought we could believe it was a savoury slice to have with bread rather than for licking our fingers.

In Piedmont this chocolate cake is even covered with the typical net to give an even more realistic resemblance to a salame and is made with hazelnuts - as a massive gianduia!

It is really easy to make and once you've cut it and arranged on a plate all your guests will be impressed - although they'll be even more impressed when they eat it and won't resist a second helping. Please don't blame it though if you devour it rather quickly! I did warn you....

Chocolate Salame


200g dark chocolate
150g butter
100g sugar
1 tbsp cognac
2 eggs
300g dry biscuits like Rich Tea

Break the biscuits to make them into large crumbs.

Melt the chocolate broken into pieces in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water making sure it doesn't touch the water itself. Separately beat the eggs with the sugar.

When the chocolate is melted, remove from the heat and add the butter and make sure it gets incorporated well. Add the sugary egg mixture and stir well to combine.

Pour the chocolate mixture onto the biscuits and mix well to ensure all the biscuits are incorporated into the chocolate.

Grease a rectangular piece of cling film. Spread the chocolate mix and give it the shape of a cylinder. With your hands arrange the mixture to create the shape of the salame and then close it with the film (ideally have 2 sheets) and roll it so that it becomes round. Close it at the ends and place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours. These ingredients make 2 medium salami. Note: salame - singular; salami - plural. ;-)

When it has hardened up, remove it from the fridge and cut it into slices at the time of serving it.