"holiday ham" news and stories

Your turkey may not be centerpiece of the Thanksgiving spread, if you follow our simple tips on scoring that holiday ham.

My family cooks turkey every holiday. Whether it's Christmas, Thanksgiving, Arbor Day, or the day we celebrate the birth of veteran stage and screen actor Mickey Rooney, turkey seems to be what we cook. Everyone loves it, so why not? But there are times I think of doing something different, like cook a ham. This recipe after the jump seems like a great place to start. Just the mention of the maple syrup and mustard and the apples all cooking together in the roasting pan makes my mouth water. And it seems really easy too.

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.