Ham Cheese Ficelles Food

CITY HAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Remove ham from bag, rinse and drain thoroughly. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan. Using a small paring knife or clean utility knife set to the smallest blade setting, score the ham from bottom to top, spiraling clockwise as you cut. (If you're using a paring knife, be careful to only cut through the skin and first few layers of fat). Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 2-inches across. Once you've made it all the way around, move the knife to the other hand and repeat, spiraling counter clockwise. The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham. (Don't worry too much about precision here.)
• Tent the ham with heavy duty foil, insert a thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees F.
• Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Dab dry with paper towels, then brush on a liberal coat of mustard, using either a basting brush or a clean paint brush (clean as in never-touched paint). Sprinkle on brown sugar, packing loosely as you go until the ham is coated. Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon, then loosely pack on as much of the crushed cookies as you can.
• Insert the thermometer (don't use the old hole) and return to the oven (uncovered). Cook until interior temperature reaches 140 degrees F, approximately 1 hour.
• Let the roast rest for 1/2 hour before carving.
• *Cook's note: A city ham is basically any brined ham that's packed in a plastic bag, held in a refrigerated case and marked "ready to cook", "partially cooked" or "ready to serve". Better city hams are also labeled "ham in natural juices".

SPICY HONEY-GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 350 degrees F. Trim off any skin from the ham, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife in a 1-inch crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat. Place the ham flat-side down in a roasting pan and add the chicken broth to the pan. Cover with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the honey, brown sugar, mustards, vinegar, hot sauce, thyme and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Remove 3/4 cup of the glaze to a separate bowl and set aside for serving. Remove the ham from the oven, discard the foil and brush with about one-quarter of the remaining glaze. Continue baking, brushing with the glaze and the pan juices every 30 minutes, until the ham is a deep reddish-brown and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 140 degrees F, 1 to 1 1/2 more hours. (Add 1/2 cup water to the pan if the juices dry out.)
• Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with the reserved glaze.

COUNTRY HAM CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the spaghetti in the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, about 8 minutes.
• Add the ham to the pan with the onions and garlic and cook until just warmed through, about 2 minutes. Whisk together the Parmesan, cream, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and some pepper in a bowl.
• Drain the pasta and transfer to the saucepan with the onion mixture and toss well. Immediately stir in the egg and cheese mixture until well combined. Serve immediately.
• Adjust the oven racks to accommodate a large covered roasting pan. Fit the pan with a shallow rack. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Unwrap the ham and rinse it in cold water. Place it on the rack in the roasting pan. Cover the pan with the lid and bake for half the estimated cooking time (total cooking time is about 20 minutes per pound, so 6 hours to 6 hours 40 minutes total).
• Halfway through the estimated cooking time, add the sugar and honey to a saucepan, cooking over medium heat until smooth and the sugar is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the ham and continue baking the ham, basting occasionally with the drippings in the roaster. Check for doneness at the end of the estimated cooking time by inserting a meat thermometer at a meaty point (not into fat or touching the bone). It should register 160 degrees F.

ROASTED FRESH HAM WITH CIDER GLAZE

Steps:

• One day before roasting: In a plastic container large enough to hold the ham, stir the water with the salt and brown sugar until dissolved. Add the spices. Score ham in a diamond pattern through the skin and fat, taking care not to cut into the meat. Add ham to brine, weight it with a plate to keep it submerged, and refrigerate for at least 4 but no more than 8 hours. Drain, rinse, pat the ham dry, and refrigerate.
• One hour before roasting, remove the ham from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. For the rub: Pulse the olive oil, mustard, parsley, sage, garlic, red pepper, salt, and black pepper in a food processor to make a paste. Rub it all over ham. In a large roasting pan, toss the onion wedges with 1 cup of the apple cider, and set the ham on top. Roast the ham for 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature 325 degrees F, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165 degrees F, about 4 hours. After the first hour, loosely wrap aluminum foil around the bone to keep it from burning.
• Meanwhile, for the glaze: Boil, then simmer, the remaining apple cider in a saucepan, skimming as needed, until syrupy and reduced to about 2 cups, about 1 1/2 hours.
• During the last 1 1/2 hours of cooking the ham, brush it with the glaze every 30 minutes. Transfer the cooked ham to an ovenproof platter and let it rest in the turned-off oven for 30 minutes. Loosely cover the onions in a bowl, and put them in the oven as well. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, skim off any excess fat, and bring to a boil. Make a paste with the flour and butter and whisk a bit at a time into the juices. Boil until thick. Carve the ham and serve with the onions and sauce.
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