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December
2004 Recipe
Glazed Ham with Apples
Country ham needs
fruit to balance the salt, and for me apples are just right. A
delicious syrupy caramel gravy brings it all together.
Serves 4 to 6
-
1 shank or butt
end of cooked country ham on the bone (about 4 pounds)
-
2 cups dry
cider, more for gravy
-
3⁄4 cup dark
brown sugar
-
1 teaspoon
ground ginger
For the stuffed
apples
-
6 to 8 small
tart apples (about 21⁄4 pounds)
-
4 tablespoons
butter, softened
-
1⁄4 cup dark
brown sugar
-
2 tablespoons
chopped candied ginger
Preheat the oven
to 325°F. Stuff the apples: Wipe the apples, core them, and cut a
circle around the equator of each so they do not burst. Cream the
butter, stir in the sugar and ginger, and fill the apple cavities
with the stuffing.
Trim any skin
from the ham and all but a thin layer of fat. Score the fat in a
lattice pattern with the point of a knife, cutting almost through
to the meat. Put the ham in a casserole and pour the cider over
it. Cover the pot, bring it to a boil, and cook in the oven for 20
minutes. Arrange the apples around the ham and continue cooking 30
to 40 minutes longer. A skewer inserted in the center of the ham
should be hot to the touch when withdrawn after 30 seconds. Remove
the ham and set it aside. Test the apples also with the skewer: if
they are not tender, let them continue cooking until done; if they
cook more quickly than the ham, remove them first.
Boil the cooking
liquid on the stovetop until it begins to caramelize. Let it
caramelize for
1 minute, then
remove from the heat. Mix the brown sugar and ginger in a bowl and
stir in the caramelized pan juices to make a very stiff paste.
Spread the paste over the ham, return it to the oven, and continue
cooking until it melts into a rich dark brown glaze, 25 to 35
minutes, basting occasionally. About 10 minutes before the end of
cooking, replace the apples in the casserole to reheat them.
Transfer the ham
and apples to a serving platter and keep warm in a low oven. Stir
the caramel gravy in the pan: if it is very thick, add a few
tablespoons of cider and simmer, stirring to melt the caramel. The
gravy should be very syrupy. Pour it over the ham and apples.
Carve the ham in generous slices at table, and serve it with gravy
and apples.
Getting Ahead:
Glazed ham is delicious cold as well as hot, so making it ahead is
no problem.
Recipe from
The Good Cook by Anne Willan, published October 2004 by
Stewart, Tabori and Chang.
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