Chocolate sanguinaccio is a sweet cream with a fluid consistency, which, until a few decades ago, had fresh pig’s blood as its main ingredient, hence the name of this preparation. Fortunately, in recent times, pig’s blood has been eliminated, and now it is prepared with fresh milk (in the classic version, but we can use lactose-free milk or soy, almond, rice milk, etc.), chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, etc. Every household has its own recipe; some add candied fruits, as I did, some add pine nuts, etc. Sanguinaccio is prepared only for Carnival and serves as a dip for chiacchiere, easy-to-make sweets, also typical of Carnival.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: About 7 ounces
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients
- 7 oz Milk (also lactose-free or plant-based)
- 3 oz Dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 tbsp Mixed candied fruits
- 1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon (level)
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla paste
- 2 tsp Rum (optional)
- 2 drops Orange blossom water
- 1 pinch Fine salt
Preparation
If using lactose-free milk or already sweetened plant-based milk, I recommend reducing the amount of sugar, adding only 1/3 cup. If you want a sweeter cream, you can add a bit more later.
Sift the cornstarch and cocoa and put them in a small saucepan along with the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, drops of orange blossom water, a pinch of salt, and the very finely chopped candied fruits.
Mix well and slowly add the warm milk.
Add the dark chocolate as well and cook the cream over very low heat, stirring continuously with a whisk, until the chocolate is completely melted and you obtain a smooth, fluid, and velvety mixture.
It will take a few minutes, about 7-8 minutes, for the cream to start thickening and coat the whisk.
A few minutes before turning off the heat, pour in the rum and let the alcohol evaporate. Turn off the heat and let cool, covering only with a sieve to let the steam escape and avoid condensation. Once the sanguinaccio has cooled, pour it into individual bowls and serve it with the Carnival sweets.
