Virgin Islands Catering Blog - St John Personal Chef

Into The Blogosphere

So here I am. Entering the world where random thoughts become concrete documents. Out there for all the world to see forever and ever, so long as the power stays on and internet access remains up. I wanted to make my first foray something meaningful that couldn’t be construed as mindless chatter. Not become part of the problem, so to speak. However, my wife assures me that no one really cares that much and its better just to put something up that people can relate to rather than a grammatically correct and unexpectedly insightful entry. “Its all about content these days. That’s how the search engines pick you up. Just look at You Tube.” Fine. Be like that.

As I write this, I am flying over the Atlantic on my way back home to St. John, just having spent a week with the in-laws in Sarasota for the pre-holiday. Trying to get some much needed down time in before the heavy season hits and we’re balls-to-the-wall busy. (Could go off on a tangent here about that phrase – which would be acceptable out in Bloggo Land, but I’m trying to keep it concise).

Anyway, while we were in Florida, we went to a whole bunch of Holiday events: The lighting of a 60-foot Christmas tree, a Holiday parade where they threw candy at/to the spectators and eventually got rained on (we told our five-year-old that they didn’t want Santa to get sick so we could get out of the miserable deluge), and numerous random Holiday-related-but-really-just-using-this-as-an-excuse-to-get-you-in-the-door-with-the-hope-that-you’ll-buy-something affairs.

It got me thinking about Holiday foods, though, and how even if this time of year is uncomfortable and dysfunctional for some of us and how so many people celebrate it in so many different ways, the food part of it always seems to be a common thread that we can hold on to and enjoy.

With that, the following is my favorite recipe for a Maple-Glazed Holiday Ham. Like most of my favorite recipes, its super simple but requires time and love. Also, similar to a Thanksgiving turkey, this one is a meal that keeps on giving. After your initial feast, the options are endless for leftovers. From your basic ham sandwich or ham-n-split pea soup to the unexpected like Ham-stuffed potatoes with Gouda or Ham Stir-fry with Ginger and Tomatoes, a whole ham can provide more than a few meals for the lazy week before the New Year. Start with the best ingredients you can find and you won’t be sorry you spent the extra ten bucks.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Fully Cooked Bone-in Ham (6-8 lbs)
1 ¼ cup REAL maple syrup
2 Tbsp Flour
1 Tbsp Smooth Dijon Mustard
1 ¼ cup water
1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar (or similar)
1 tsp ground clove
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger

Oven at 325 degrees.

Ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

Place pan with drippings into the freezer for 15 minutes to harden the fat. Skim the fat and save the drippings.

Meanwhile, put the ham back in the oven for 30 minutes after glazing it with the syrup. Baste every 10 minutes.

Take original drippings and whisk in flour and mustard until smooth, then add the water and vinegar and whisk again.

Turn oven up to 400 degrees, baste with your syrup again, and again every 5 minutes for 15-20 minutes or until Insta-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part (not touching the bone) reaches 140 degrees.

Remove from oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.

In a saucepan, combine the new syrupy pan drippings with the original dripping mixture and the cloves and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat for 4 minutes or until the gravy has thickened, whisking very frequently. Transfer to a gravy boat or other vessel.

Serves 8 to 12 plus leftovers.