Chipotle-Glazed Ham with Cherry-J'cama Salsa
Contributed by: NAPSA
Entertaining Made Easy...From The Bayless Family To Yours!
(NAPSA) - 'Tis the season for family togetherness...in the kitchen! With the holidays fast approaching, the National Pork Board enlisted celebrity chefs Rick and Lanie Bayless to help families prepare a holiday meal with ease. Chef and owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo restaurants in Chicago, Rick and his daughter Lanie, age 16, co-authored a family-friendly cookbook, "Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures," and love putting their cooking and entertaining skills to the test for their own family.
According to Lanie, "Growing up in a house full of chefs, cooking together as a family, has been a long-standing tradition for us and it's one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. My dad and I love spending time together in the kitchen and trying new recipes that our whole family can enjoy."
Take advice that this father-daughter duo shared with us on how to easily entertain for any occasion this year, and enjoy doing it together:
- Kids In The Kitchen: Get the entire family involved in preparing the holiday meal. "When Lanie was a youngster, we encouraged her to help pull ingredients out of the pantry, measure and stir them together. Now she's a very savvy cook and we have great memories sharing quality bonding time in the kitchen," said Rick.
- Keep it Simple: Recipes don't need to be hard to taste great. Keep the menu simple with recipes that practically cook themselves, such as this Bayless family favorite, Chipotle-Glazed Ham with Cherry-J'cama Salsa. If you're short on time, Rick and Lanie suggest serving pork tenderloin-it takes less than 20 minutes to cook, is juicy and lean, and makes a beautiful presentation.
- Supporting Sides: Pork is incredibly versatile and is easily complemented by any number of side dishes such as veggies, potatoes or pastas. To keep the kids involved, let them each pick a favorite side dish...or, in the Bayless family's case, dessert. "I love to bake desserts, and my favorite from our cookbook is Hot Chocolate Souffles. They are so easy to do and a great choice for the holidays," Lanie said.
- Love Your Leftovers: If you have holiday guests who are staying overnight, whip up a tasty breakfast or brunch using the ham leftovers from dinner the night before. The Bayless family loves making omelets (with some ham and fresh herbs), a quick quiche, or fried egg and ham breakfast panini. And they're all simple enough for small hands to help.
Try Rick and Lanie's Chipotle-Glazed Ham with Cherry-J'cama Salsa for your next entertaining occasion. For the duo's pork tenderloin recipe and other meal ideas, including sides and leftovers, fun activities and helpful tips for the season, visit TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.
Ingredients:
- 8- to 9-pound bone-in, spiral-cut cooked ham
- 1 turkey-size cooking bag
- 12 to 13 ounce jar of high-quality cherry preserves
- 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, plus 1 tablespoon of the canning (adobo) sauce
Cherry-J'cama Salsa
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped red onion
- 1 1/2 cups diced peeled j'cama
- 1 cup chopped dried bing cherries*
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Directions:
Set oven to 250 degrees F.
Remove ham from packaging; if it has a plastic disk over the bone, pull it off and throw it away. Lay the ham, cut-side down in a turkey-size cooking bag. Gather the bag up over the ham, pressing out all the air. Fasten with the enclosed tie. Trim excess plastic from above the tie. Using a small knife, make 6 half-inch slits around the top of the bag to allow steam to escape.
Place the ham in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes (roughly 10 minutes per pound), until the temperature near the bone reads 100 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer.
In a food processor or blender, combine the cherry preserves, chipotle chile and its canning sauce. Process until smooth. Scoop out and set aside 1/2 cup of the glaze for seasoning the salsa.
When the ham reaches 100 degrees F., remove from oven, slit the bag and pull it out from under the ham, letting all the juices run into the pan. Tip the pan slightly and spoon off all but about 1/4 cup of the juices. Brush the glaze (except what you've reserved) over the top and sides of the ham.
Return to the oven and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, until the temperature near the bone reads 140 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer. If there is time, tent the foil and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
In a large bowl, stir together the onion, j'cama, cherries, vinegar and the 1/2 cup of reserved glaze. Taste and season with salt, usually about 11/2 teaspoons. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
When the ham is ready, stir the cilantro into the salsa and serve along with slices of ham.
*Can be substituted with dried, sweetened tart cherries, if unavailable.
Serving Size: Makes 3 1/2 Cups Salsa, 10-14 3-ounce Servings Of Ham
Nutritional Information: Per Serving: Calories: 410; Fat: 22g; Saturated Fat: 8g; Cholesterol: 80mg; Sodium: 1540mg; Carbohydrates: 23g; Protein: 29g; Fiber: 2g
