Orange juice ties together ham and carrots for Easter meal
My family has always favored the traditional glaze on hams
– the one that uses mustard, brown sugar and pineapple rings –
and my cousin makes a killer gravy from the mix. But with Easter
approaching, I decided to try something a little different last
weekend. There are a lot of different recipes for glaze, but a lot
of them include fruit flavors that pa
ir well with the saltiness of ham. We chose a cherry-orange
glaze made from cherry preserves, orange juice and orange liqueur.
The ham is basted with cola while it cooks, with the glaze put on
for just the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Orange juice ties together ham and carrots for Easter meal
My family has always favored the traditional glaze on hams – the one that uses mustard, brown sugar and pineapple rings – and my cousin makes a killer gravy from the mix. But with Easter approaching, I decided to try something a little different last weekend. There are a lot of different recipes for glaze, but a lot of them include fruit flavors that pair well with the saltiness of ham. We chose a cherry-orange glaze made from cherry preserves, orange juice and orange liqueur. The ham is basted with cola while it cooks, with the glaze put on for just the last 15 minutes of cooking.
As a side, I chose carrots with an orange ginger sauce to complement the glaze on the ham. The meal turned out tasty enough for Easter dinner, but easy enough (with a pre-cooked ham) to make any weekend.
Orange ginger carrots with bourbon
Recipe courtesy of Bob Blumer
1 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced on an angle into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. grated ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1-oz. bourbon
In a pot of water, bring carrots to a boil and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until tender to the touch of a fork. Drain off water.
In a saute pan, over medium-high heat, add butter and sugar. Stir for approximately 3 minutes, or until sugar begins to brown. Add orange juice, ginger and carrots. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until liquids thicken and becomes a glaze.
Add salt and bourbon and simmer for 1 more minute. Serve immediately.
Cola-baked ham with cherry-orange glaze
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
1 (12 to 15-lb) fully cooked bone-in ham
1 tsp. ground allspice
1 (2-liter) bottle cola
3/4 c. cherry preserves or jelly
1/4 c. fresh orange juice
2 tbsp. orange flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)
Biscuits or dinner rolls, accompaniment
Creole mustard, accompaniment
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Trim rind and excess fat from the ham, leaving a 1/4-inch thick layer of fat. With a sharp knife, score the fat in a diamond pattern. Place the ham in large roasting pan and sprinkle with the allspice. Pour the cola into the pan and bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the cherry preserves, orange juice, and liqueur over medium heat and cook, stirring, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove the ham from the oven and brush the top and sides with the cherry glaze. Return the ham to the oven and bake, brushing with pan juices and glaze every 15 minutes and tenting the ham with foil if browning too quickly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of ham without touching the bone registers 140 degrees F, about 15 to 30 minutes.
Remove the ham from oven and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, thinly sliced, with biscuits or dinner rolls and mustard to make sandwiches.
