Hammy New Year

A very happy new year to all of you. I hope you've enjoyed the holiday period and are feeling well rested and ready for 2008.

The start of a new year is full of such promise. There's something so exciting about a blank diary and the opportunity for a fresh start. As usual I have a host of resolutions* and the desire for reinvention. One of these years I'll realise that, as the Housemate so wisely says, "those that are truly happy desire what they already have" but maybe next year.

As much as I love the start of a new year, I'm not a big fan of New Year's Eve. The frivolity is all a little forced. It's so hard to actually organise what you're doing because people are so wary of committing to anything lest they miss out on a fuure invite to the 'party of the year'. Inevitably you end up paying £25 to get into a bar you would never normally consider and spend the whole night wondering how you're going to get a taxi home. My favourite New Year's Eve since reaching the age where it was no longer socially acceptable to stay at home with parents was the one I had tonsillitis. How I rejoiced when I realised I had a legitimate excuse to stay in bed and watch the rubbich TV counting down to Big Ben's bongs.

This year we rejected the hustle and bustle in favour of a dinner at home. Because of my self-imposed lock down on all calorific foods post January 2nd (you've got to allow New Year's Day to ease into it) we decided to go a little nuts with the treats. Not only did we have all the Christmas chocolate to finish, I also made a chocolate loaf cake and the housemate made his mum's chocolate mint mousse. There may also have been some ice-cream and additional cookies...

In order to line our stomachs before the assault of the sweets, I wanted to make a balanced main course. I decided to go for a baked ham which I made a couple of years ago. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart's Living magazine which I discovered when travelling in America. The ham is baked with cider, honey and pears. Towards the end of cooking, cranberries are added to provide a tangtastic contrast. I added to the recipe by boiling the ham in cider before roasting and using less sugar, preferring to add parsnips to the mix for their sweetness. If you want to use a pre-cooked ham, just start from step three.

This is a delicious recipe which I'm sure would be a welcome addition to the roast dinner circuit. Thanks Martha.

Baked Ham with Pears and Cranberries

Serves 8

2.5kg smoked gammon joint (choose unsmoked if you prefer)

Whole cloves (you will need about 30)

2 litres of cider (you don't need anything too fancy but I didn't want to chance White Lightening!)

1 1/2 cups of honey

1 cinnamon stick

5 pears, quartered and cored (I used Conference pears)

3 cups of cranberries (fresh or frozen)

4 parsnips, peeled, quartered and parboiled.

1/2 cup of soft brown sugar (I ended up using about half of this)

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 onion peeled and cut in half

1. Put the gammon joint into a pan of cold water and bring it to the boil. This is to remove any excess salt. Discard the water and rinse the pan of any froth and scum.


2. Put the onion halves in the pan and put the de-salted joint on top of them. Pour 1.5 litres of cider into the pan and bring it to the boil. Once the liquid has boiled, reduce the heat to a simmer and put the lid on the pan (not too tightly). Simmer for 2.5 hours (adapt the cooking times according to the weight of the joint). You can do this in advance if you prefer.


3. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Remove the ham from the cider and slice the tough rind off the joint leaving the white fat exposed. I'm sure someone clever could think of something to do with the cooking liquid, perhaps a soup base, but I'm afraid I got rid of it.



4. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and add a clove to each diamond. Place the ham in a roasting dish. Mix the remaining 0.5 litre of fresh cider with 1 cup of the honey and pour the unctuous mixture over the ham. Roast in the oven for an hour (you may need to cover the meat with foil to stop it getting too dark). Baste the meat half way through.



5. Add the cinnamon, pears and parsnips to the pan and cook for a further 45 minutes (basting twice). Add the cranberries and cook until the pears are soft and the cranberries are about to burst (about 30 minutes). Remove the fruit from the pan with a slotted spoon and keep them in a separate dish covered with foil. Leave the meat out of the oven, covered with foil.


6. Pour the cooking juices into a small pan and add the remaining half cup of honey, the sugar and the ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil over a medium heat and cook until the mixture becomes syrupy and has reduced by half. Pour the glaze over the ham and cook for 15 minutes.


7. Remove the ham from the oven, cover with foil and leave it to rest for 15 minutes or until you are ready to eat. Pour any remaining pan juices over the fruit and parsnips. I served the ham with a simple baked potatoes (you want something quite plain to showcase the sweet flavours of the meat and fruits) and green vegetables. Delicious.

* My cooking resolution is to grind my own spices, does anyone else have any good ones?

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave

I am, much to the amusement of those who know me well, a huge Yankophile. I think my passion began aged ten when I first discovered the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Growing up, I lived in small village and one of my first acts of independence was going on the only bus of the day to the market town of Thirsk to be met by my (much missed) Gran. Before going to her bungalow for lunch we would visit the small bookshop with the basket of secondhand books outside the front door. It was here that I purchased my first 'Little House' book. Over the summer holidays and using my meagre pocket money I was able to collect the whole series. These books became my comfort blanket. Whenever I felt lost I was able to escape to the plains and be part of a world where Pa kept danger outside the cabin and even in times of hardship Ma put food on the table.

I know that these books are an institution in America but most people here are only familiar with them through the (not so great) TV series. At the time, I pledged that if I had a family I would raise them the Ingalls way and now, when life gets too complicated, I reaffirm that pledge to myself.

Since my first taste of the Prairie, my love for the great US of A has only grown. The housemate thinks this is hilarious and yells at me to stand every time 'The Star Spangled Banner' is played. The Bedmate finds it a little less amusing, but this could be due to the fact that I might have (once or twice) mentioned that I would quite like to marry a Senator.

Anyway, I was at my American History evening class (I know, I know) in September and I decided that it would be a great idea to have a Thanksgiving Dinner for a few friends. Due to scheduling problems we had it, a week and 2 days late, on Saturday night. Wow. After the initial embarrassment of explaining to the Housemate's invitees that, no I don't have any American relatives and yes, I do know that it is slightly odd to celebrate Thanksgiving considering I was born and raised this side of the Atlantic, the evening was a huge success.

We started with Shrimp Cocktail (anyone calling it prawn cocktail was quickly corrected - prawn cocktail is a slightly naf 1970s dinner party staple whereas shrimp cocktail is an acceptably American sounding starter) with Autumn leaf Melba toast (ha ha - what fun!).

For the main course we went all out:

Roast Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Cranberry Sauce

Giblet Stock Gravy

Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing

Biscuits ( a few sceptical looks here - why was I serving scones with the main course?)

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows (again, general bemusement but the cynics quietened on tasting)

It was a struggle for me to cook a roast dinner without Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes but I was striving for authenticity so they just didn't make the cut. For pudding it was Pumpkin Pie (how could it not be?) and Chocolate Pecan Pie.

Unfortunately I still haven't told people that I am writing this blog so it was difficult for me to take many photos of the food. It's bad enough being the America-obsessive for the evening without being the crazy girl who photographs her food too. Sadly I didn't get any photos of the table either although I did have a lot of fun decorating it with my munchkin gourds and Indian Corn (smuggled through customs on the way back from New York).

It seems slightly redundant posting Thanksgiving recipes when there are so many excellent American food blogs available. So rather than take coals to Newcastle I will leave you with the picture round quiz we created for people to complete while waiting for the main course to be served. First person to send all the correct answers gets my final can of pureed pumpkin.

Quiztastic: