Saturday, May 12, 2012

Honey Orange Bake Ham From Martha Stewart Living Sitei

Martha Stewart Living
Yield Serves 10, plus plenty of leftovers
 

Ingredients
1 whole smoked ham (14 to 18 pounds), bone in and rind on
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 large onion, cut into 6 wedges
1 large orange, cut into 6 wedges
4 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 1/2 cups homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Rinse ham with cool water; dry with paper towels. Let stand, uncovered, at room temperature 1 hour. Meanwhile, whisk together honey, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, and mustard; set aside.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees, with rack in lower third. Fit a roasting pan with a rack, and place ham, with the thicker rind on top, on rack. Scatter onion and orange wedges and rosemary around ham on rack. Transfer to oven, and cook 1 hour.
Remove pan from oven, and let ham cool slightly. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. Trim fat all over the ham to a layer of about 1/4 inch (it does not need to be perfectly even; the bottom will have less fat and more skin). Turn ham, bottom side down. Score fat on top of ham in a diamond pattern, each 1 to 2 inches, cutting about 1/4 to 1/2 inch through the fat and into meat. Baste with honey mixture. Add enough water to roasting pan to fill the bottom by about 1/4 inch.
Return ham to oven, and cook 1 hour more, basting often with remaining marinade (do not baste with pan juices). If necessary, add water to pan to keep juices from burning. Remove from oven; transfer ham to a serving platter; discard orange, onion, and rosemary. Let stand 30 minutes before carving ham.
Meanwhile, make gravy: Strain liquid from roasting pan into a liquid measuring cup or bowl, and skim off fat from surface with a large spoon. Place roasting pan over medium-high heat. Add cider vinegar, and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Return defatted juices to pan along with 2 cups stock. Bring to a boil, and let simmer.
In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and the flour; whisk into sauce. Continue simmering until liquid is reduced by half and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with ham.

Herb Drop Biscuits From Martha Stewart Living Site

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
1 cup milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, fresh chives, baking powder, and salt. Using a fork or your fingers, work in butter (cut into small pieces) until small pea-size clumps form. Mix in milk until the mixture comes together as a sticky dough.
Using a 1/3-cup measure, drop 8 mounds of dough onto a nonstick baking sheet; pat down slightly.
Bake until biscuits are golden brown, rotating baking sheet halfway through, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature

Chocolate Raspberry Tart From Martha Stewart Living Sitei

Ingredients
32 chocolate wafer cookies (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar
Coarse salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (6 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, combine cookies, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process until very fine crumbs form. Add butter and pulse until mixture just comes together. Press crumbs firmly into a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is dry and set, 20 minutes. Let cool.
In a large bowl, combine chocolate and pinch of salt. In a small saucepan, bring cream to a bare simmer over medium-high. Immediately pour cream over chocolate and let stand 1 minute. Stir gently until chocolate melts and mixture is completely smooth. Pour chocolate into cooled tart shell and refrigerate until set, 30 minutes. To serve, remove tart from pan and scatter raspberries on top.

Cook's Note

Use a flat-bottomed 1-cup measure to press the cookies firmly into the tart pan. You can substitute graham crackers for the chocolate wafers.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries From Martha Stewart Living Sitei

Ingredients
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 pound large strawberries (about 20), washed and dried well
1/3 cup finely chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions
Place chocolate in a bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. Stir occasionally, until melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. One at a time, dip each strawberry in chocolate, twirling to coat; then sprinkle chocolate-covered portion with pistachios, if using, and place on waxed paper.
Chill chocolate-dipped strawberries at least 15 minutes to set chocolate. (Strawberries should not be stored in refrigerator longer than 1 hour as condensation drops may collect on the chocolate.)