Cider & clove glazed ham with apple & beetroot salad – Christmas is coming

 

I think it was perfect decision to try this cider & clove flavoured ham before Christmas. The apple & beetroot salad was originally created for the winter issue of the Stahl magazine (in a slightly different version, of course), and I liked it so much that I immediately knew that it would be a perfect pairing with this ham, as well.

Cider & clove glazed ham with apple & beetroot salad

For the cider & clove glazed ham:

- 750 ml cider

- 60 ml apple cider vinegar

- 1 bulb of garlic, cleaned, cloves grated

- 2 tsp. mustard

- 1 tsp. ground clove

- 200 g brown sugar

- 4 tsp. salt

- 1 leg of pork (5,5 kg)

For the apple & beetroot salad:

- 50 g butter

- 8 large beetroots, cut into cubes

- salt and freshly ground pepper

- 8 large apples, cut into cubes

- 1 orange’s zest

- ½ tsp. grated horse-radish

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C.

2. Cook the cider, apple cider vinegar, mustard, clove and 100 g brown sugar on moderate heat for 10-15 minutes until it thickens, then strain it.

3. Score the skin of the ham in a criss-cross pattern (or if you have a larger ham, remove the skin and score only the fat). Rub the mixture of the remaining sugar and salt into the skin, then place the ham onto a large baking sheet covered with baking paper and put it in the preheated oven. After five minutes, pour 3 tbsp. of cider sauce on the ham. Bake the ham for two hours, and pour some cider sauce on it regularly, do not let it dry out.

4. Steam the beetroot on the butter for 10 minutes in a covered pan. Salt and pepper it, then add the apple, horse-radish and orange zest and continue to steam for another ten minutes.

Serve the ham with the beetroot & apple salad and bread.

Strawberry panzanella – with some negative criticism

So, I have again disappeared! But don’t worry; now I won’t start giving you a hint about some big things in progress I cannot tell you a word about. I still prepare recipes and photos for the Stahl Magazine (a Hungarian magazine). And this recipe was not accepted for the next issue of the magazine. Well, perhaps I am just a fool, but I like it very much, though! By the way, have I already mentioned that the first comment of real negative criticism appeared on my Hungarian blog some weeks ago? I missed it anyway!

But trust this recipe. Last year at the Gourmet Festival (one of Hungary’s largest festivals dedicated to gastronomy) our croissant with strawberry, prosciutto, dried tomato and basil prepared together with the Budai Bakery was one of the favourites. The boys at the bakery always tell me that everybody still wants this croissant. And this panzanella is almost the same!

Strawberry panzanella

-  4 slices of brioche (not too sweet), cut in cubes, toasted

- 400 g strawberry, cut in halves

- 60 g paprika salami, torn in pieces

- 1 bunch basil, finely chopped

- 80 g mold-ripened goat’s milk cheese (e.g. Chabichou), crumbled

- 80 g dried tomato, chopped

- balsamic cream

For the sauce:

- 100 g butter, browned

Preparation:

1. Mix the ingredients of the salad.

2. Serve it with browned butter.

But do not expect losing weight if you eat this salad.