We have some good friends around for dinner regularly and during November the thoughts turn to Christmas lunch. One of my friends hates the whole idea of eating Turkey and Brussels sprouts both at home or when he visits family. One evening he casually said that he would rather eat bacon, egg and chips for Christmas lunch but his wife was having none of it. We were happy to oblige one Boxing day.
We did not exactly fulfil his wish but we came somewhere close. We cooked a smoked ham in the oven slowly and kept plenty of water in the roasting dish to ensure that the ham did not dry out. We put the ham on a griddle above the water . The ham was covered with Canadian maple syrup with a little mustard but you could just as easily have used honey and mustard.
We stuck a good number of cloves into the flesh. We added some white wine near the end of the cooking and basted the ham. To go with this we cooked sauteed potatoes (French style) and tinned tomatoes and of course free range eggs.
For aperitif we drank nv brut Champagne and orange juice but not mixed together into buck's fizz. I regard this as sacrilege; mixing Champagne with fresh orange juice ruins both drinks as far as I am concerned.
We drank Bandol Rosé to go with the ham which was simply delicious and we had Stilton cheese and dessert afterwards. This was enjoyed by everyone including our wives who thought that it was actually a good idea and our male friend could not have felt better.
I now have to try to find a way of including this on a Christmas lunch menu. And, why not do it? In parts of Germany it is the tradition to eat Schäufele or a smoked ham on Christmas eve.
http://www.majestic.co.uk/Domaines-Ott-Chateau-Romassan-Rose-zid08049
http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/glazed-smoked-ham.html?omnisource=gid_uk
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/jan/17/how-to-cook-perfect-sauteed-potatoes
No comments:
Post a Comment