Ham for the Holidays

At Thanksgiving, turkey is the meat on almost every table in America. At Christmas, however, turkey is just one of many main course choices.

What follows are recipes for two of the most popular pork entrees for the holidays: ham and a crown roast of pork.

Ham braised in wine with aromatic vegetables is a natural centerpiece of any holiday feast. I came up with this particular cooking method after finding a tattered recipe for ham braised in white wine tucked away in my files. Almost two decades ago I had prepared this dish from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” for a group of cooking students. Seeing the recipe again brought back memories of its delicious flavors. But the original directions were several pages long, so I simplified them and made some changes.

In the new version, the ham is baked with sauteed carrots and onions, white wine and seasonings. During the last 15 minutes, I add a mustard and apple jelly glaze. Then the pan juices are turned into a delectable sauce.

The ham will easily serve 10 to 12 people, and should you have leftovers, the ham, sliced, would make fine sandwiches or could be diced and added to an omelet or incorporated into a savory mushroom or spinach tart for post-holiday nibbling.

To go with the ham, try serving fennel, roasted until it is crisp and sweet, a gratin of red-skinned potatoes baked with Gruyere cheese and herbs and green beans mounded with caramelized onions. Additional garnishes can include a tart cranberry chutney and peppered biscuits.

For the orange-glazed crown roast of pork, I stud the meat with garlic slivers and baste with orange juice. After the meat roasts to a rich golden brown, the pan drippings are combined with orange juice and stock to produce a thick, dark sauce.

Served surrounded by orange slices and watercress, this entree is fitting for any important occasion. And because pork today is much leaner than in the past, you can splurge on holiday desserts.

To precede this main course, I propose a light carrot soup, and to accompany the roast, fresh asparagus spears and oven-roasted new potatoes scented with rosemary.

CHRISTMAS HAM BRAISED IN WHITE WINE WITH VEGETABLES

1 tablespoon butter

3/4 cup thin-sliced carrots

3/4 cup chopped onions

1 (5- to 6-pound) boneless cooked ham or slightly larger cooked ham with bone in

4 cups dry white wine

6 sprigs parsley

2 bay leaves, broken in half

6 peppercorns, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Dash ground cloves

1/4 cup apple jelly

3 tablespoons sweet hot mustard or Dijon mustard

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 1/2 tablespoons cold water

1 bunch watercress

Heat butter in large heavy roasting pan over medium heat. When hot, add carrots and onions and saute, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Place ham, fat side up, on top of vegetables and add 3 cups wine, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme and cloves. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat.

Cover and bake in oven at 350 degrees, basting every 20 minutes with pan juices, until quite tender when pierced with knife, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove pan from oven and increase temperature to 450 degrees.

Combine jelly and mustard in small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until jelly is dissolved. Brush ham with mustard mixture and return to oven, uncovered, 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Remove ham to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let cool 20 minutes while making sauce.

Discard bay leaves and parsley from pan. Puree remaining vegetables and any juices in pan in food processor, blender or food mill. Return to roasting pan and place pan over high heat. Add remaining 1 cup wine and chicken stock and cook until mixture is reduced by 1/4. Stir together cornstarch and water in small bowl, then add to pan juice mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens lightly.

To serve, cut ham into thin slices and arrange overlapping on serving platter. Garnish with watercress and nap with some of sauce. Pass remaining sauce separately.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

Each of 10 servings contains about:

432 calories; 3,130 mg sodium; 89 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 42 grams protein; 0.16 gram fiber.

ORANGE-GLAZED CROWN ROAST OF PORK

1 (8-pound) crown roast of pork

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

4 large cloves garlic, cut into thin slivers

3 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken stock plus more if needed

Sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 bunch watercress, rinsed and dried

1 thick-skinned orange, cut into 10 wedges

Trim and discard any excess fat both inside and outside of roast. Generously season roast to taste with salt and pepper on all sides. Using sharp paring knife, make incisions on both outside and inside of roast. Insert 1 garlic sliver into each incision.

Place roast in large metal roasting pan and set on center oven rack. Rub roast with 2 tablespoons butter, then brush all over with 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate.

Combine remaining orange juice concentrate with equal amount of water in bowl. Mix well. Bake roast at 350 degrees, basting every 20 to 25 minutes with about 4 teaspoons mixture. Roast should be done in 2 to 2 1/2 hours; meat thermometer should register 170 degrees. If bones brown too quickly, wrap in foil.

Transfer roast to serving platter. Cover loosely with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving.

To prepare sauce, place roasting pan with dark pan drippings over medium heat. Remove and discard any fat (not drippings). Add remaining orange juice from basting and 1 cup chicken stock. Use whisk to scrape pan drippings into sauce. Taste and if sauce is bitter, add dashes of sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mix together remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and flour to form ball and, little at time, whisk butter-flour mixture into sauce and stir until thickened. Use additional stock, if needed.

To serve, garnish roast with watercress and orange segments. Slice roast into chops and serve napped with sauce.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Each serving contains:

837 calories; 264 mg sodium; 199 mg cholesterol; 63 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 50 grams protein; 0.22 grams fiber.