Ham I Am

Today's episode of Michael Smith's Chef at Home was about one of my favourite rituals, Sunday dinner. Growing up it was a long-standing ritual in my family, the hallowed institution of Sunday dinner. On this night we would get an extra special meal prepared not hastily or thrown together after a busy day at work or school. And we would all sit together in the dining room with the good china and by candelight and enjoy a leisurely dinner. Us kids weren't allowed to make other plans for Sunday's dinner. We might have dinner at a friend's house or grab a meal on our way home from basketball practice or rehearsals for the school play or whatever other extracurricular activities we were involved in throughout the week, but the meal on Sunday was a sacred one. It was family night, a night to gather and regroup before a new work or school week began.

Roast beef was a commonly served at Sunday dinner, but so was pork tenderloin or ham.

So, much to my delight, today's episode of Chef at Home offered some inspiring new ideas (to me at least) for a Sunday staple, ham.

Sunday Ham with Apple, Maple and Rosemary Mustard Sauce
Yield: 6

4 lb. ham, bone in
2 cups apple cider, wine, fruit juice, broth or water
2 heaping spoonfuls Dijon mustard, horseradish, marmalade, jam, jelly or any condiment
1 tbsp dried rosemary or any other herb or spice
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsps water

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Place the ham in a large pot with a tight fitting lid. Add apple cider, mustard and rosemary. Cover with the lid and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 1 1/2 hours. At this point, you may serve the ham as is with the broth, or carry on and glaze it and make a sauce.

Remove the ham and place in a roasting pan and reserve broth in pot.

Ladle 1 cup of the broth from the ham pot into a small saucepan and reduce it over high heat until it is the consistency of syrup. Brush the glaze all over the ham, and then place it in the oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile stir the cornstarch into the water until it dissolves. Heat the remaining ham broth to a simmer and whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Stir until thickened. Slice the glazed ham and serve with the sauce.