ham Archives - The Midnight Baker

Brown Sugar Dijon Glazed Ham

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 23:00:05 +0000

Brown sugar dijon glazed ham is perfect for Easter or any time.

Great For Easter–Brown Sugar Dijon Glazed Ham

Ham is traditional for Easter dinner. There’s so many great glaze flavors, it’s often hard to choose which one to use. I usually make Virginia ham for Easter, but I got to thinking out of the box on this.

If you want to get away from the usual cherry and pineapple flavored glazes, this brown sugar Dijon glaze may be what you’re looking for. It’s sweet but that’s cut a lot with the mustard. It’s a very interesting flavor and one I really like.

My suggestion is to make up a small batch of the glaze so you can taste it and decide whether your guests or family will like it. I don’t think it’ll go oe=ver big with very young children. This appeals more to adult tastes.

Cooking The Ham

Most hams sold are fully cooked so all you have to do is reheat them. That’s what I used here.

So the choice of how you reheat it is up to you. What I do is put the ham face-side down in a roasting pan with 1 cup of water added. I cover the pan with foil then set it in a 325F/160C oven for 2 hours.

You can also reheat in a slow cooker or Instant Pot provided the appliance is large enough to hold the ham.

When the ham is heated to the proper temperature–at least 140F/70C–just pop it in a roasting pan, face-side up and paint with the glaze. Preheat your oven to 400F/200C and let that glaze caramelize on the ham. I usually do about 20 minutes basting every 5 minutes or so.

For The Mustard Lovers

The Dijon in the glaze gives a nice zing to the ham, but I know many folks who like mustard as an additional condiment at the table.

I suggest a whole-grain imported mustard for the table. The seeds give a great crunchy texture and the taste is outstanding.

The Recipe

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Brown Sugar Dijon Glazed Ham

Great glaze for a ham

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easter ham dinners, Ham glaze with dijon mustard, holiday ham glazes

Servings: 10

Calories: 71kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 shank or butt portion ham

Glaze:

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 cup orange or pineapple juice
1 tsp butter

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat ham by desired method. My method is in the post.
Heat the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan too boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer until glaze is slightly thick and syrupy; about 5-8 minutes.
Heat oven to 400F/200C. Bush ham with some glaze and cook ham until glaze begin to caramelize, basting frequently with more glaze during cook time. Ham should cook about 10-15 minutes basting periodically.

Notes

Nutrition information is for glaze ONLY

Nutrition

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Mixed Bean Soup with Ham & Kielbasa

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 00:00:25 +0000

Delicious hearty mixed bean soup is great for a winter meal, but the kielbasa and ham add great flavor!

Winter Is For Bean Soup

Bean soup is perfect for a cold winter day!

This soup is extra special because it contains a variety of beans and two meats!

The Flavors Are Terrific

Bean soup is traditionally flavored with ham.

Whenever I make a ham for dinner, I always save and freeze the bone for later use. This is one of the uses I have for the leftover ham bone. Always make sure to leave some meat on the bone for adding to the soup!

Kielbasa or smoked sausage is less traditional for flavoring the soup, but it’s absolutely delicious! It has a smoky flavor but is quite different from ham. This adds another level to the flavor.

Also, most mixed bean packages come with a seasoning packet. Use it because this adds even more flavor, but if your package of beans doesn’t come with this seasoning, don’t worry–it’s totally optional.

Add Some Veggies

I generally will add carrot and celery to most any soup I make.

In this one, I had no celery so I only added carrots. I like the sweetish flavor that carrot imparts to a soup. You can add anything you like that you think goes well with the meats.

As far as herbs and spices, something such as this soup lends itself to bay and a bit of basil for my tastes. You can really get experimental here if you want. I have to admit I’m not that adventurous with herbs so I haven’t tried other combinations. I’d love it if you could let me know your personal favorites for bean and ham soup!

The Recipe

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Mixed Bean Soup with Ham & Kielbasa

Delicious hearty mixed bean soup is great for a winter meal, but the kielbasa and ham add great flavor!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time10 5

Course: Pork, soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bean soup, ham, kielbasa

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 65kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 bag approx 16 oz mixed dried beans + enclosed flavor pack (see NOTES)
8 cups water
2 tsp chicken base i.e. Better Than Bouillon -OR- 2 chicken stock cubes
1 cup sliced carrots - about 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup chopped onion
meaty ham bone -OR- 1 large ham steak cut in chunks
1/2 tsp basil
1 bay leaf
1 package fully-cooked kielbasa cut in 1/2-inch slices
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place soaked beans in a 5-7 quart slow cooker.
Add the water and the flavor pack that was in the beans (if there isn't one in your package, it's not essential so don't worry), the chicken base, carrots, onions, basil, bay leaf. kielbasa and ham bone/ham chunks.
Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours, high 5-8 hours (times are approximate).
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

To prepare beans-- place beans in a large pot and cover with water 1" above the beans. Soak overnight. Alternate method (but not as good)--place beans in a large pot and cover with water 1" above the beans. Bring water to a boil, boil 5 minutes then remove from the heat, cover and let sit for 1 hour. With either method, drain the water and rinse.

Flavor packet--if the brand of beans you buy doesn't have a little packet of flavoring, it's not essential so don't worry.

Nutrition

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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Hot Pot

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:41 +0000

Leftover ham from New Years? Make this delicious ham and bean hot pot!

Have a nice meaty ham bone left from your New Year’s ham dinner?

Here’s the perfect way to use it and your slow cooker.

Making a meal out of what’s leftover is always a joy to me, plus it’s easy on the budget too. Especially if it tastes good.

Some may call this a soup and some may call it a stew–both are correct, but I make this so it’s closer to a stew. Anyone familiar with British cuisine (some would say the word “cuisine” is used loosely LOL) know that the northern part of the UK is somewhat famous for their “hot pots.” Typically a hot pot contains lamb, potatoes and various veggies. This is nowhere close to the traditional dish–here it’s more of a texture thing.

You can thin this down to make soup if you like or leave it the way it is for a meal that has a chew factor involved.

Add any veggies you like to this for even more taste and color. I kept this one simple because I can add to it what I like when I make the leftovers. And speaking of leftovers, you’ll have quite a bit with this. I generally freeze it in 1-2 serving portions.

I used a combo of great northern and navy beans in this one, but substitute any beans you have on hand or the ones you like. I do soak my beans overnight because it doing so seems to quell some of the embarrassing aspects of beans, but with slow cooking, you really don’t have to and if you regularly include beans in your diet, then generally you don’t suffer the after effects of the oligosaccharides. I also add any salt almost at the end of cooking since I like my beans very soft. If you like more of a “crunch” to your beans, then add it at the beginning.

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Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Hot Pot

Leftover ham from New Years? Make this delicious ham and bean hot pot! Have a nice meaty ham bone left from your New Year’s ham dinner? Here’s the perfect way to use it and your slow cooker.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time10 5

Course: Comfort Foods, Pork, Slow Cooker

Cuisine: American

Keyword: ham, slow cooker recipes

Servings: 10

Calories: 154kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 lb dried beans I used 1/2 navy and 1/2 great northern*
6 cups water
1 meaty smoked ham bone
1 bay leaf
5 whole peppercorns
2 cloves garlic crushed
Salt to taste I add almost at the end--see post as to why

Instructions

*Soak beans overnight, if desired. Just put them in a big pot and add water until they're covered by 1-2-inches of water. Drain and pick out the shriveled or bad looking ones.
Place all ingredients except for salt in a 5+ quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low, 5-8 hours on high (cook times are approximate)

Nutrition

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Golden Raisin Sauce for Ham

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 27 Dec 2015 00:00:56 +0000

A delicious and mildly spicy raisin sauce for your New Year’s ham!

There are many sauces served with ham, but one of the best and most complementary is traditional raisin sauce.

Ham is traditional on New Year’s Day–actually I believe it’s fresh ham that is traditional, but most folks have substituted cured ham for the fresh because of it’s availability.

I was first introduced to this when I went to my Eastern Star chapter’s annual fall ham dinner not long after I became a member.

The sauce that was always served belonged to Pat (member and past District Deputy) and it had an incredible flavor. She was famous around here for her raisin sauce and one taste will tell you why.

Most raisin sauces contain multiple spices, but this only contains 2–dry mustard and ground cloves–and not in abundance. The sauce is very delicately flavored and not overpowering as some can be. It’s subtle spiciness is offset by a subtle sweet-sour flavor.

I deviate from Pat’s original recipe in that I use apple cider vinegar instead of the white variety. The apple cider vinegar gives it a slightly more fruity taste, but feel free to use any vinegar you have and suit your own taste. It’s important here to add the vinegar at the very last–reason being that the acid tends to break down the thickening quality of the cornstarch.

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Golden Raisin Sauce for Ham

A delicious and mildly spicy raisin sauce for your New Year’s ham!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Dips, dressings, sauces

Cuisine: American

Keyword: raisin sauce

Servings: 2 cups

Calories: 431kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup raisins
2 cups water
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cider vinegar

Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring raisins and water to boiling over medium heat; boil for 5 minutes
Mix together the brown sugar, cornstarch, dry mustard and cloves.
Add the cornstarch mixture to boiling raisins; cook for 1 minute
Add the butter, stirring till melted.
Add the vinegar and stir to blend.
Serve sauce immediately.

Nutrition

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Ham Alfredo

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Ham Alfredo

Leftover Easter ham? Try this ham alfredo for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Ham Alfredo Uses Leftovers

This is a quick and easy alfredo sauce. It uses cream cheese. I also changed up the usual parmesan cheese for asiago.

You can always use parmesan or romano. I just happened to have a huge piece of asiago I had bought at Sam’s a while ago.

And as usual, lower-fat alternatives may replace the regular milk and cream cheese for a healthier option.

The Recipe

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Ham Alfredo

Leftover Easter ham? Try this ham alfredo for a quick and easy weeknight meal.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: pasta, Pork

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: ham, ham alfredo, pasta

Servings: 2

Calories: 786kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 oz ham either coarsely diced or julienne
1 cup milk
4 oz cream cheese
3 oz grated or shredded asiago cheese
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder OR 1 clove garlic minced
2 cups cooked pasta of your choice

Instructions

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over med-low heat.
Add cream cheese and garlic/garlic powder and beat with a wire whisk until there are no lumps. Add milk gradually, whisking continually while adding.
Add the cheese and the pepper. Whisk until cheese is incorporated; add ham and heat through. Remove from heat--sauce will thicken slightly when removed from heat.
Serve over hot pasta.

Nutrition

Ham Alfredo

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Recipes On Deck

Judith Hannemann — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:35:00 +0000

Coming up this week:

It’s been so cold and windy here in upstate New York the past couple of days that all I’ve had on my mind are hearty soups.

Well, we have a delicious ham & bean soup coming up. It’s in the crockpot cooking right now. Might even add some smoked sausage to give this more of a punch.

Annnnnnddddd…..

If you love desserts, WATCH OUT. There’s one on the horizon that will knock your socks off because it’s so easy, you won’t believe it and well, if you love peanut butter and chocolate, all I can say is have a fainting couch ready to catch you.

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