A Glazing Guide

 What makes a holiday table sing? A perfectly glazed ham . Yet glazing is a headache to many home chefs, including the most experienced. Can the perfect glaze be made? Yes. It just takes  some good ingredients and knowing how togive ham that glossy look.

Ham is nothing new at Christmas. Long before Germanic tribes embraced Christianity ,Teutonic pagans celebrated the winter solstice  or  Yule with roasted wold boar. Throughout the centuries ha was the star of any German Christmas table. It went over to England and then to the American colonies where many Founding  Fathers enjoyed cured ham as part of their holiday meal. yet glazing ham come about in the 1880's and it was usually with a savory stock that was either reduce or thickened with butter and flour .This was flavored with various herbs and spices. Any sweetness came from added wine . Ale could be added to this glaze too.The modern glaze that we know came about in the 1930's created by Harry Hoensellar in Detroit, Michigan He offered honey glazed hams to curious housewives.It clicked .The sweetness was a great foil for the meat's cured saltiness. He also in vented the spiral cut ham which made it easier for home chefs to carve at the holiday table

Throughout the recent decades home chefs have used all sorts of sweet ingredients to glaze holiday  hams, both Christmas and Easter. They include  everything from ginger ale to pineapple juice / A simple one includes dark brown sugar (which as more flavor than light brown sugar) along with honey or real maple syrup. Kickiness comes from the addition of Dijon mustard and ground cloves. Ground cinnamon and nut meg can also be added. You could go 1950's and create a different and fruity pineapple glaze. this  is more than just pouring juice onto an uncooked ham. The glaze also has brown sugar and honey to give that skin that burnished, glossy caramel look.Dijon or stone ground mustard along with apple cider vinegar cuts all that sweetness (no one want a ham that tastes like a candy). Cinnamon and clove can also be added. How do you glaze a ham? Usually with a brush and its done during the last hour or so of baking. This is usually done four times - figure every fifteen minutes.. This is also the time to score the game -r creating those squares on the outside. Add water so the bottom doesn't;t burn either.

The perfect Christmas ham is a glazed one. You can go from a simple glaze or a more elaborate one. Pick the one that you feel the most comfortable with using. The result with be a perfect marriage for salty and sweet with a kick for mustard and spices.

Stepping Up Those Sides

Now that it's picnic and barbecue season, it's time to bring out those sides. Ribs and sandwiches call  for an accompaniment of salads and slaws - and everything in between. Yet these can get boring - even cloying.It's time to shake them up and  make them a little more zestier.

Cole slaw is a big hit right now. It's a snap to whip up and goes with everything from hamburgers to kebobs to heroes. Yet a simple mayo one can be a snore , especially if it's made with run of the mill mayonnaise. Zing it up with some tarragon  or even the addition of sliced radishes. These add bite and color along with a nice crunch. Apple slaw is something different and would work well with grilled pork chops. You still need the cabbage but also both Granny Smith and any kind of red apple is used too. A pinch of brown sugar can be added along with some red peppers.Cole slaw can be made with a vinaigrette too. In fact this is lighter and much more tastier version  being lower in calories. To give it a little lift try a flavored vinegar such as a pomegranate or blueberry infused one.You could also add coarsely ground peppercorns to give it a little heat as well. Tomato salad is another warm weather fave. This can be made a variety of ways, from just simply slice tomatoes with oil and garlic to a Neapolitan bread salad which features chunks of marinated Italian bread and tomatoes slices or quarters. This is a great side to any steak or even fish.

Bean salads are a picnic must.Every year the family recipe is trotted out.This is usually a mix of kidney,green and wax beans.It's then drenched with  a sweetened oil and vinegar dressing poured on top  and then left in the fridge to marinate for a few hours. The result is an often soggy , overly sugared side that has little or no appeal. Instead mix up the recipe. Have a Mediterranean style salad with the kidney beans now being mixed with garbanzo and cannellini beans. Keep the oil and vinegar but nix the sugar. Add a good dose of both oregano and rosemary. You can even serve it on grilled Italian bread for a kind of bruschetta.String bean salad is another picnic and barbecue chestnut that ought to be reinvented - and it can. Use balsamic vinegar this time ,instead of the traditional red wine for dressing.,Toss in some chopped onions or shallots and then sprinkle some freshly ground Parmesan on as a finishing touch. For a more Gallic spin just serve the green beans with a punchy Dijon dressing.This is just simply Dijon mustard thinned with olive oil and some capers Dress the beans while they're still hot so that the dressing clings to them. Cherry tomatoes can be added for color and more flavor.

Sides don't have to be boring. Liven them up for an interesting picnic or barbecue. They'll add zest and flavor to a traditional cookout