A Favorite Autumn Recipe!

Romanian Chocolate Biscuit Salami

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Okay, before we do anything else: there is no salami in this recipe.

I feel like I need to get that out of the way because I mentioned salam de biscuiți to my husband and watched his face go through about four different stages of concern while he tried to figure out why his Romanian wife wanted to put chocolate on cured meat.

No. 😂

It’s called salam de biscuiți because when you roll it into a log and slice it, it looks surprisingly like salami. The broken biscuits and walnuts make all those little pale pieces inside, and once you see it, the name makes perfect sense.

Until then, it sounds completely unhinged in English.

This is one of those Romanian sweets that feels like home to me. It’s simple, inexpensive, doesn’t need an oven, and every family seems to have their own slightly different version. Some people add raisins. Some use walnuts. Some coat the outside in coconut. Some use rum essence, which gives it that very particular flavor I associate with Romanian sweets.

And because tomorrow is September and Southern California is currently 103 fucking degrees, I refuse to turn on the oven in the name of autumn.

My heart says sweaters and falling leaves. California says die.

So, we’re making something chocolatey and cozy that lives in the refrigerator instead.

What you'll need

• 14 oz (about 400 g) plain tea biscuits, Maria cookies, or Petit Beurre

• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

• 1 cup whole milk

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1–2 teaspoons rum extract or 1–2 tablespoons dark rum

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup raisins, optional

• Powdered sugar, finely shredded coconut, or crushed biscuits for the outside

About the biscuits

Don't overthink these.

You want a fairly plain, crisp biscuit rather than a soft American-style cookie. Maria cookies are easy to find in the US and work beautifully. Petit Beurre are wonderful too.

And when you break them up, don't pulverize them. We're not making biscuit flour. Leave plenty of irregular little pieces because those are what give the finished slices their characteristic look.

Let's make it

• Break the biscuits into a large bowl. I usually do this by hand because I want a messy mixture of crumbs, small pieces, and some larger chunks.

• Add the chopped walnuts and the raisins if you're using them.

• In a small saucepan, combine the milk, butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt. Warm everything over medium-low heat, stirring until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.

• You don't need to boil the life out of it. Once everything has come together, take it off the heat.

• Stir in the vanilla and rum extract or dark rum.

• Pour the chocolate mixture over the biscuits and walnuts and gently mix everything together.

• Then leave it alone for about 5–10 minutes.

• The biscuits will start absorbing the chocolate mixture, and everything will thicken considerably. You're looking for something that holds together when pressed but still has visible pieces of biscuit throughout.

• Too wet? Add a few more crushed biscuits.

• Too dry and crumbly? A tiny splash of warm milk will fix it.

  
  

This is grandmother cooking territory. The correct measurement is occasionally “until it looks right.”

The part where it becomes "salami"

• Lay out a generous piece of plastic wrap or parchment.

• Spoon about half the mixture onto it and use the wrap to help shape everything into a thick log. Roll it fairly tightly and twist the ends closed.

• Repeat with the other half.

• Now put both logs into the refrigerator for at least four hours.

• Overnight is even better, assuming you possess the kind of patience I routinely pretend to have.

• Once they're firm, unwrap them and roll the outside in powdered sugar, finely shredded coconut, or crushed biscuits.

• Then slice.

And now the ridiculous name makes sense.

A few little notes

Rum extract vs. actual rum: Rum essence/extract is very common in Romanian sweets and gives this a wonderfully nostalgic flavor. Dark rum is delicious too, but it isn't quite the same thing. If you're making this for kids or avoiding alcohol, use rum extract according to the label or simply add a little more vanilla.

Walnuts: These are my choice here, and they're very traditional, but hazelnuts can also be lovely.

Raisins: Entirely optional. This is apparently one of those subjects upon which otherwise reasonable people are willing to go to war. I am not getting involved.

Coconut: You'll often see salam de biscuiți rolled in coconut. I prefer powdered sugar when I want that really convincing salami appearance, but both are good.

How to serve it

Cold, straight from the refrigerator, sliced into rounds.

And preferably with coffee. Obviously.

It'll keep well wrapped in the refrigerator for around five days, although claiming it will actually survive five days in a house containing coffee-drinking adults feels optimistic.

You can also freeze it for up to a couple of months. Let it soften slightly before slicing.

There is something I really love about recipes like this.

It's not elaborate. There isn't some impressive pastry technique hiding in here. It's biscuits and chocolate and walnuts and a little rum, rolled up and put in the refrigerator.

But it's the sort of sweet that gets attached to kitchens and grandparents and childhood and cups of coffee that lasted much longer than the coffee itself.

And now I'm making it in California, where September apparently means 103 degrees and tiny decorative pumpkins stubbornly arranged around the house anyway.

Seasons are sometimes a state of mind.

Poftă bună. 🖤