Russian Monday: "Shokoladnaya Kalbaska" - Chocolate Biscuit "Salami" with Walnuts & Rum (no bake)

Taste of childhood time treats is something we remember all our lives and taste of “chocolate salami” is one of those “old time favorites”. While back during Soviet Union times, with all kinds of shortages and deficits of many common items and foods, having full plate of sliced meat sausage on the dinner table was a sign of a material well-being of a family. Such table looked happy and respectable and hosts – welcoming and attentive. However, sometimes guests could stay only for a cup of tea. So how tea table could be without sausage? Name of “chocolate salami” inventor we will probably never know, but the recipe has taken its own rightful place in notebooks and cookbooks: cookies, butter or margarine, cocoa powder, sugar.

In the absence of modern food processors, cookies were simply grinded into crumbs by hand, butter or margarine was melted and availability of sweet concentrated milk was making everything to taste even better. The hardest part in cooking “chocolate salami” was the wait – “salami” were rolled into “loaves”, carefully placed in plastic bags and locked into a freezer overnight. In the morning, the final result was ready on the plate, chunks of reddish-brown slices of “shokoladnaya kalbaska” with small inclusions of cookie crumbs (looking like small dots of white fat on salami).

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The proper dish name for “chocolate salami” has never been introduced by anyone, but variations of the recipe including nuts, honey, prunes and even halva have become very popular. You can try to make this dessert while experimenting with various add-ons such as dry fruits or nuts. Serving this dessert is somewhat out of the ordinary - your guests will be surely happy! “Shokoladnaya Kalbaska” can be served with coffee or tea; it also goes well with after-dinner liqueur.



Preparing time 15 minutes, plus time to refrigerate

Ingredients:

• 7 oz (200g) tea biscuit or plain butter cookies (I used Breton crackers)
• 7 Tbsp. (100 g) unsalted butter
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped 
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 1/2 oz.(100g) dark chocolate 50% cocoa ( I used Lindt)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. rum  
• powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Break the cookies into small pieces. In a large bowl mix together cookies and chopped walnuts. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the navy cream and butter over low heat. Add the sugar and stir. Chop chocolate in small pieces and add to the hot butter-cream mixture. Stir until chocolate melts. Then add cocoa powder and rum, stir well to combined, set aside for few minutes to let mixture cool slightly.

Add crushed biscuit-walnut mixture into the chocolate mixture and mix thoroughly. The mixture will be thick and sticky. Using your hands, put the mixture on a piece of aluminum foil or wax paper and roll as a sausage.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. When ready to serve, unwrap the chocolate salami and lightly roll it in powdered sugar to give it a look of real aged salami. Slice and serve on a beautiful plate.  If you have kids, they will love this dessert and they will definitely help you make it.

Inspired by Confessions of a Spoon