Espresso Chile Glazed Ham with Cornbread
1/2 fully cooked ham (8 lbs)
1 quart fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup coffee flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon chinese chile paste with garlic
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup brewed espresso OR 1 tbl. espresso powder
Preheat the oven to 325�F. Cut the thick layer of fat and the skin
from the ham and discard. Place the ham in a roasting pan. For
easier cleanup, line the pan with aluminum foil, because the glaze
will drip off and burn on the bottom of the pan. Roast the ham for 1
hour.
While the ham is roasting, make the glaze. Combine the orange juice
and zest, brown sugar, liqueur, chile paste, and pepper in a large
saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to
medium and simmer the mixture until is reduced by about half and is
as thick as maple syrup, about 35 minutes. Whisk in the espresso or
espresso powder. You should have almost 2 cups of glaze. You are
going to use half of this glaze to brush the ham while it is
roasting and reserve the other half for brushing on the ham after it
is sliced.
After the first hour of cooking, brush the ham with the glaze. Roast
for another hour, brushing with the glaze every 15 minutes. Since
the ham is already cooked, you just need to warm it all the way
through. Check for an internal temperature of 130 to 140�F using an
instant-read thermometer.
Remove the ham from the oven when it is nicely browned and warmed
through. To serve: We like to serve this with warm cornbread. For a
lovely presentation, slice half the ham and arrange the slices up
against the unsliced part on a big platter. Brush the slices with
the remaining glaze. Cook's Note: The glaze can be made a few days
ahead and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator.
Etta's Cornbread:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup medium-ground yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup grated pepper jack (1 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus a little more
buttering the pan
To make the cornbread, preheat the oven to 425�F. Butter an 8-inch
square baking dish. Combine the flour, cornmeal, cheese, baking
powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a mixing bowl, whisk together
the eggs, milk, and honey. Add the wet ingredients to the dry
ingredients, stirring until just combined. Add the melted butter and
stir into the mixture. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until a
toothpick comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cook's Note: You can
make the cornbread and store it in the freezer, covered tightly in
plastic wrap, for a few weeks.
Tom Douglas |