Sanguinaccio Dolce

A dark chocolate cream set with pig's blood, which must never boil.

Pork. Not vegetarian — contains pork.

Ingredients

• 400 ml fresh pig's blood, strained
• 600 ml whole milk
• 200 g dark chocolate
• 150 g caster sugar
• 40 g cocoa powder
• 80 g candied orange peel, diced
• 60 g pine nuts
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. STRAIN THE BLOOD THROUGH MUSLIN FIRST. It clots as it stands, and any clot left in will be a rubbery lump in the finished cream that nothing can fix.
2. Warm the milk with the sugar, cocoa, cinnamon and salt, then melt the chocolate into it off the heat.
3. Let it drop to about 60C, then whisk the blood in steadily.
4. Return it to the LOWEST possible heat and stir constantly for 15 minutes until it thickens to a pouring custard.
5. IT MUST NOT BOIL OR EVEN SIMMER. Blood protein sets at a lower temperature than egg and it sets GRANULAR — one bubble and the whole pan goes to a gritty paste. If steam starts rising hard, lift it off and keep stirring.
6. Stir in the candied peel and pine nuts and pour into glasses.
7. Chill 4 hours. It sets firm and is eaten cold, with savoiardi. Make it the day you get the blood.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Italy · All recipes