Star of the Show

It's a tradition that no doubt was orchestrated by that wily Easter Bunny: Instead of eating hasenpfeffer on Easter, we're far more likely to have ham.

In fact, a survey done last year by the National Pork Board found that 60 percent of Americans who celebrate Easter serve ham for dinner.

On The Buffet at Bellagio, ham will be in great demand on Sunday, said the resort's executive chef, Wolfgang Von Wieser.

"A lot of people know it from their childhood," von Wieser said. "It's very traditional and there's a religious part there."

The religious tradition actually has its roots in the pagan holiday that predated the Christian one that's celebrated these days.

But there's another, practical reason for the tradition, said Pam Johnson, director of consumer communications for the pork board. In the days before cold storage, she noted, the pigs were butchered during the fall harvest and the hams were cured during the winter.

"It was ready for eating and celebrating right about the time of Easter and the spring weather," Johnson said. "It was the meat that was available and anticipated about that time of year."

Johnson said that although it is traditional to serve ham for Easter, a lot of beginning cooks may not have learned many culinary skills at the hand of a parent or grandparent. So, the first order of business is to read the label.

Unless a ham is labeled "fresh leg" or "fresh ham," it is fully cooked, she said (and probably will be labeled as such), which means it needs only to be warmed.

Some hams contain natural juices, with at least 16.5 percent protein and less water than a ham simply labeled "water-added," she said. (If you're confused, visit the pork board's Web site at www. theotherwhitemeat.com.)

And you'll want to bypass a common mistake of novice cooks.

"A lot of them just put it in the oven and wait all day and smell it and think it's going to taste great and realize that they forgot to take the wrapper off," Johnson said. "That's something that happens more often than you may think."

As does overcooking. A fully cooked ham should be baked for 15 to 18 minutes per pound, at about 350 degrees, she recommended.

Von Wieser said Bellagio cooks are preparing the resort's hams in vacuum bags. They add bay leaf, peppercorns, chervil, a little white wine and some carrot juice.

"We warm it up in the pouch so it seals all the flavor inside," he said. "And then we take it out when the ham is warm, we take the skin off and we crisscross the fat layer and glaze it with honey and put it in the oven to caramelize. The fat kind of melts and gets crispy and the inside is still nice and moist. It's very tasty."

Johnson said she's seeing cooks use a lot of glazes and chutneys to add variety -- sometimes to the same ham.

"If you have a family or gathering with diverse tastes, that's a great way to celebrate," Johnson said. "Your basic ham and a basic glaze, and with all sorts of chutneys and glazes and sauces they can customize their own Easter ham.

"You can also bring in the hottest cuisines and global flavors that are out there. All of those great flavors that work with the basic sweet/smoky flavor of the ham."

Here are recipes from the National Pork Board.

GLAZED HAM WITH PINEAPPLE-RAISIN SAUCE

 

1 5-pound cooked boneless ham

1 can (6 ounces) frozen pineapple-orange or pineapple juice concentrate (divided use)

3 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

Pineapple-raisin sauce (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, for 11/4 hours, until internal temperature measured with a meat thermometer is 140 degrees, about 15 to 18 minutes per pound.

In a small saucepan, combine half of the juice concentrate (reserving half for the pineapple-raisin sauce), maple syrup, vinegar and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Baste ham with glaze during the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking. Remove ham from oven, slice and serve with pineapple-raisin sauce.

Serves 18.

Pineapple-raisin sauce:

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon butter

1 can (6 ounces) frozen pineapple-orange or pineapple juice concentrate (divided use)

11/4 cups water

3/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add remaining 3 ounces of juice concentrate, water, raisins, maple syrup and mustard. Stir together vinegar and cornstarch; stir into raisin mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more.

 

HAM WITH PEACH CHUTNEY

 

1 4-pound fully cooked boneless ham

1 16-ounce can peach slices in natural juices, drained

3/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup minced onion

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 teaspoon pickling spices

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham in a shallow pan and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion reads 140 degrees (about 11/2 to 21/4 hours). Slice ham thinly; serve with peach chutney on the side.

For chutney: Chop peaches coarsely. Combine all remaining ingredients in large saucepan; simmer 20 minutes, until thickened slightly. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Serve cold or at room temperature with baked ham.

Serves 16.

 

APRICOT-GLAZED HAM

 

1 5-pound fully cooked whole boneless ham

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2/3 cup apricot nectar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, for 11/4 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 140 degrees.

For the glaze, in a small saucepan combine brown sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and cloves. Stir in apricot nectar and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly.

Brush ham with glaze. Continue baking 15 to 20 minutes more, brushing occasionally with glaze.

Serves 20.

 

BAKED HAM WITH MOJO SAUCE

4 cups Mojo Sauce (recipe follows)

1 bone-in ready-to-eat ham (about 14 to 16 pounds)

About 16 whole cloves

2 to 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar

11/2 cups dry white wine

Papaya salsa (recipe follows), for serving

Prepare Mojo Sauce first. Set aside 2 cups for serving.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ham in shallow roasting pan; score a diamond pattern about 1/8-inch thick into the upper surface of the ham. Insert cloves at the crossed points of the diamonds.

Brush the ham with the mustard and sprinkle it with the brown sugar. Pour 1 cup of the Mojo Sauce over the top. Bake in the center of the heated oven for 2 hours, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion (not touching bone) registers 140 degrees (about 15 to 18 minutes per pound), basting every 20 to 30 minutes, alternating with 1/4 cup each white wine and remaining Mojo Sauce.

Transfer ham to platter. Let stand 15 minutes; slice and serve with the reserved 2 cups of Mojo Sauce and Papaya Salsa.

Serves 30.

Mojo sauce:

16 cloves garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise

1 cup finely slivered onion

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups fresh orange juice (from 3 or 4 oranges)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 or 3 limes)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

In a medium bowl, combine garlic, onion, cumin and salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the onion mixture and cook, stirring, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the orange juice, lime juice and vinegar and cook another 5 minutes for the flavors to blend. Cool to room temperature.

Makes 4 cups.

Papaya salsa:

2 ripe papayas (about 1 pound each)

2 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 tablespoon seeded, finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley

Finely grated zest of 2 limes

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

Peel and seed the papaya and cut it into 1/4-inch dice. Place in a medium-sized bowl. Gently fold the tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro and lime zest into the papaya. Toss in the lime juice. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use, no longer than 4 hours.

Makes about 4 cups.

 

BAKED HAM WITH SWEET 'N' SOUR PLUM SAUCE

 

1 6-pound fully cooked boneless ham

1 15-ounce can purple plums packed in heavy syrup, drained, pitted and pureed

1 cup undrained crushed pineapple packed in pineapple juice

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 large clove garlic, minced (1/2 teaspoon)

1/8 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Green onion flowers, fresh plum wedges, unpeeled pineapple (optional, for garnish)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Score ham by making diagonal cuts in a diamond pattern. Place ham on rack in shallow roasting pan. Bake for 11/2 hours to 13/4 hours, or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of ham registers 140 degrees.

Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat.

Brush ham with sauce every 15 minutes during last 30 minutes of baking.

Remove to serving platter and tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes. Brush with sauce. Carve and serve with remaining sauce.

If desired, garnish with green onion flowers, wedges of fresh plums and unpeeled pineapple.

Serves 24.

Contact reporter Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0474.