You want to celebrate Easter with a bountiful brunch or dinner shared with family and friends. But this year, in this economy, many of us find our budgets squeezed pretty tight.
Here’s an idea. How about an Easter Potluck? Invite family and friends and ask that they bring a dish — ideally a tasty something they think of as one of their specialties. That can help make the whole meal more special.
As the host, you can be responsible for the main dish … maybe a leg of lamb — or the traditional Easter Ham. We’ve got a cost saving idea there, too.
You could go to one of those specialty ham stores and spend a bundle on a spiral-sliced ham. But we’ve found you can buy a wonderful bone-in ham at the supermarket or warehouse club store (such as Costco) for a fraction of the price. Adding a glaze is easy, as it cutting the ham itself.
Beverage Pairing
Pairing wine with a potluck is a real challenge – you can’t make an informed wine decision when you don’t know what your guests are bringing and haven’t tasted the dishes. So we’ll base our wine choice on the main dish we are recommending: the Apricot-Glazed Ham.
The main element that will give our wine a run for the money is the sweetness of the glaze. The apricot marmalade and brown sugar in the glaze can wreak havoc on a number of wines, so sticking with a wine that has a touch of sweetness, such as Riesling or Gewurztraminer, is a good bet. In addition, if your ham has some pronounced smokiness, these wines provide nice contrast – whereas a big, oaky Chardonnay could magnify the ham’s smokiness to undesirable levels, the suggestion of sweetness in the Riesling keeps the smoke in check. Similarly, an off-dry rose can also provide a spectacular match.
For guests who are looking for non-alcoholic options, a ginger ale will provide a nice compliment to the apricot glaze, as would a cola. The primary flavors in most colas are a mix of citrus and cinnamon which make a nice match with apricot.
For something a little more special, consider some of the dryer “adult” sodas that are becoming increasingly available, such as Fizzy Lizzy’s sparkling pineapple or Dry Soda Co.’s kumquat soda.
– The Food Channel
Ham with Apricot Glaze
• Prep Time:20 min
• Cook Time:4 hr
• Serves:16
This caramelized brown sugar and apricot glazed ham is studded with whole cloves and will fill your kitchen with a wonderfully rich and spicy aroma.
Ingredients
• 1 (10 to 12 pound) uncooked, smoked, bone-in ham
• 8 1/2 ounces apricot jam
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• Whole cloves
Preparation
• Preheat oven to 275°F.
• Line sheet pan with foil. Place ham on foil fat side up. Wrap well with a second piece of foil and bake 3 hours. Remove from oven.
• To prepare glaze, combine apricot jam, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest and orange juice; whisk to blend.
• Unwrap ham and with a large sharp knife, trim away rind and all but 1/4-inch of fat. Score fat in diamond pattern, about 3/4-inches apart. Stud ham with whole cloves in decorative pattern.
• Spoon glaze over ham and bake, uncovered, an additional hour; basting every 15 minutes.
• Let rest on cutting board until ready to carve.
Copyright 2009. The Food Channel®. All Rights Reserved.
