Ham Braised In Wine Creates A Delicious Holiday Meal Centerpiece

Over the years I have served all manner of main courses for Christmas dinner. On some occasions I have prepared the most traditional dish, roast turkey, but other times beef tenderloin or a standing rib roast have been my choice.

This Christmas, ham braised in wine with aromatic vegetables will be the centerpiece of our holiday feast. To go with it, there will be fennel, roasted until crisp and sweet, a gratin of red skin potatoes baked with Gruyere cheese and herbs, and green beans mounded with caramelized onions.

Additional garnishes will include a tart cranberry chutney and peppered biscuits. For dessert, a pecan pie, fresh fruit marinated in red wine and ginger, and a dense chocolate-walnut layer cake will complete the offerings.

I decided to serve this special entree 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 “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” for my cooking students. Seeing the recipe again brought back Proustian memories of its delicious flavors.

The original directions were several pages long, so I simplified them and made some changes. In the new version, the ham is baked, covered with sauteed carrots and onions, along with white wine and seasonings. During the last 15 minutes, I added a mustard and apple jelly glaze. Then the pan juices are turned into a delectable sauce.

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

Christmas Ham Braised in White Wine with Vegetables

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

3/4 cup thinly 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 powdered cloves

1/4 cup apple jelly

3 tablespoons sweet hot mustard or Dijon mustard

2 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2-1/2 tablespoons cold water

Bunch of fresh watercress, cleaned, for garnish

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 to pan. 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 or longer. Remove pan from oven and raise 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 and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let cool 20 minutes while making sauce.

Discard bay leaves and parsley. 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 stock and cook until mixture is reduced slightly, by one-quarter. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook, whisking constantly, until sauce thickens slightly.

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

Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

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