My husband's origins are Swedish (wayyyy back) so a few years ago we decided
to start having Swedish-flavored Christmas celebrations. As it
turns out, the Swedes like their pork, and
what could be better than a holiday ham? Specifically, "Monte's Ham," a recipe I found years ago in
Saveur, is the pride and joy of my Christmas dinner.
With so many different meaty delights to choose from - turkeys, rib roasts, racks of lamb, and roast duck, oh my! - what do you choose to feature on your holiday table, and how? Or do you forego the large roast meats for a nice wild mushroom risotto?
sarah's
swedish ham a la monte
Start at least four hours ahead of your dinner. Go to the market and find a
smoked ham on the bone - the kind that still needs more cooking. Check to make sure the label doesn't
say "fully cooked" or "just heat and serve." Get a big one, 10 to 20 pounds.
You'll only need two other ingredients: a large jar of good dijon mustard and a large jar of
marmalade. I like organic peach/orange or apricot versions as they're free of high fructose corn syrup and
other nasty stuff, but just pick whatever sounds good to you.
With the oven at 300°, trim the tough skin and excess fat from your ham. Place meat-side down in a roasting pan and cook about two hours. While cooking, mix marmalade and mustard together in a 3:2 ratio (1 1/2 cups to 1 cup), adding a cup or two of brown sugar or maple syrup if you like things really sweet.
Take ham out of oven and increase heat to 350°. Brush with mustard/marmalade mixture and return to oven. Cook one to two hours more, brushing with glaze whenever you feel like it. Let the ham sit a while before carving and serving.
Cheese Course: Brebis Pardou
A transcendent summer tomato salad
Sliced bread turns 80 today
