HONEY GLAZED HAM & ORANGE CRANBERRY SAUCE!

HONEY GLAZED HAM

We made this for my great grandson’s birthday party a couple weeks ago. It was one of the best hams I have ever had.

INGREDIENTS:

Glaze

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup whiskey
zest of 1 orange
1stick cinnamon
5 whole cloves
1 star anise
1 clove garlic crushed

Ham & Pineapple

2 whole carrots peeled and cut into large chunks
2 stalks celery cut into large chunks
1 whole orange, cut into 4 wedges
1 smoked cured ham, about 10 pounds, at room temperature
1 4 1/2 pound pineapple, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices I was lazy and used canned pineapple.

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the honey, vinegar, ginger, mustard, brown sugar, whiskey, orange zest, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, star anise and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from the heat and steep for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl; discard the solids.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the carrots, celery, onion and orange wedges in the bottom of a roasting pan and set the ham on top of the cut vegetables.

Brush some of the glaze over the ham to coat entirely and generously.

Tent the ham with foil. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 140 degrees F, brushing with the glaze every 20 minutes, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The glaze should be golden and caramelized and the ham should be fully heated through.


Remove the roasting pan from the oven and allow the ham to rest for 10 minutes. Transfer the ham to a carving board. Strain any pan drippings into a small bowl and skim off any excess oil.

Preheat the broiler. Place the pineapple slices in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Brush some of the glaze over the pineapple. Broil until the pineapple is tender and golden brown basting pineapple with juices, about 10 minutes.

Holding the ham in place with a carving fork, cut the ham into about 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on a platter.

Arrange the pineapple slices around the ham. Serve with the reserved pan drippings and any remaining glaze and enjoy.
Recipe from Curtis Stone

ORANGE CRANBERRY SAUCE

I like cranberry sauce with my ham. Okay, after nearly 56 years of cooking, my search for the "definitive" cranberry sauce recipe is over! This recipe is fantastic!! This is the best cranberry sauce I have ever had! I used to just resort to canned because I never seemed to be able to make a "good" cranberry sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

12 ounces cranberries
1 cup white sugar
1 cup orange juice

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice. Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.
Recipe from Toni