A Glazing How To

 Palm Sundy is tomorrow and Easter is next week>That means a table faturing a good roasted han in some households. This can mean a holiday treat especially if the ham has a good glaze that complements the meat's saltiness>

What is a glaze  any way?It comes from the French - glace au viande and it's usually made by reducing the meats juice's by a slow simmering over a burner. Doing this evaporates the juice creating a think gelatin that is brushed over the meat duing the roasting. The cut is then returned to the oven and lets the glaze to bake on. It's different with ham. Since the meat has no juice  being cured a glaze has to be made.What makes a good ham glaze For decades home chefs used brown sugar. This was usually just mixed with water and spooned over the meat.Between it and the cloves that were inserted into the fat , this give the hand that sweet flavor. Throughout the Twentieth Century home chefs experimented with everything from ginger ale and Dr pepper to orange juice and honey. What is the best? That depends on your  tastes. If you want a super sweet one then use any cola or ginger ale.A tangier one involves orange juice.

A glaze is easy to create. All you need is brown sugar, orange juice, honey cinnamon and cloves. It's boiling the first three to make a thin syrup and adding the spices later.Keep in mind that any glaze can be made as the ham is cooking. It should be spooned on or brushed for a more even coating ten to twenty minutes before serving. This still has the ham having tender meat but with a nice , crunchy crust. If you want to have a true Southern style ham then try a Dr. Pepper glaze. THis is combing the drink with orange juice, brown sugar and Dijon mustard, the last for cutting through all that sweetness. Again just cook the ingredients in  a sauce pan over a low flame. Can you use Coke or Pepsi? Yes! The taste will change slightly give the ham a caramel flavor.  Ginger ale glaze also is an interesting spin but a more intense and zingier flavor would come from using ginger beer (This can be bought at any grocery store).Use a deep golden honey and Dijon mustard along with some fresh ginger to emphasize the flavor.

A good ham is a holiday must Adding a glaze elevates this to  something special. Try either a traditional glaze or one with soda for a tasty Palm Sunday or Easter bite.

Punchy Punches For Halloween

 This weelend is going ot be the weekend for Halloween parties. Instead of playing bartender and missing the party why not roll with the punches? Put out fancy bowls of alcoholic and non alcoholic ones. Your guests will get a big kick out of them as they're served ina spooky cup.

Start with a fun punch bowl/ Target has large witch's cauldrons which would be perfect for any kind of punch. They also sell a large clear pumpkin too.If you can;t find onen use your soup pot and soup ladle to pour out cups. You can also use one of your soup tureens (or buy one at an antique store) along with using the ladle that comes with it. Large ice buckets also work well too. What about the punch itself? A perfect spooky holiday sip is a blood red sangria. Start with a sweet red or rose and add the fruit fi the season  such as apples and pears. Orange and leon slices give ti a fresh tartness.  You could  increase the punch's potency by stirring in half a cup of a fruit brandy. Even though this sounds vile, sewer water punch is actually quite tasty - and kicky.It;s Dr Pepper mixed with vanilla flavored vodka and orange juice. Serve this potion in a clear bowl so they can see the "brown water." You can add gummy works if you want to (or Tootsie rolls to really amp up the "ewwwwww" factor.)

What about those little ones? Try a non alcoholic punch  with fun flavors for those tiny trick or treaters. Again serve it in a witch's cauldron or giant pumpkin. Since the main color fo the holiday is orange then think of a bright citrus punch. Combine orange soda (use an intensely flavored one like Fanta for the best taste) Add orange sherbert for more tang and a cup of pineapple juice for a refreshing zing. If you find this too sweet, then  sub in the soda with an orange flavored seltzer. This cuts down on the sugariness and even makes it more palatable for any adults attending. Another squeal inducing sip is the witch's brew punch. It's first mixing ginger ale with  pineapple and lemon juices. The last is added to keep from making th e drink too sweet,.Lime sherbet is added to give it that green color. Now for the special effects. You can put dry ice in a handmade trough wrought from tin foil around the cauldron. This will give it the effect of a smoking pot. You DO NOT want to put this ice in the punch. It's extremely dangerous to do so. Another special  and safer effect is just put a ring of battery operated votice lights around the base of the cauldon.

A good Halloween punch will add - what else - punch  to any party. It's a tasty cup, perfect with those party bites and mucnies. Brew up a cauldron for your holiday drinking.

Rib Ticklers

Barbecue happiness is a tasty rack of ribs slathered with a tangy sauce or fiery rub.Dogs and burgers can't compete with them.Done right ,they're almost as soft as butter and just as flavorful as any roast.Many home chefs are intimidated by grilling ribs.Yet they're pretty easy to work with and they require little tending while on the grill. The first step is deciding what kind of rib you want for your barbecue.Pork is the tastier of the two but it comes with warnings.Any pork cut has to be cooked thoroughly ,Eaters can wind up with trichinosis or even swine flu surprisingly.Despite this, pork ribs are still popular and many home barbecuers would get them before buying the beef ones.If planning a barbecue, figure five to six ribs per person.Beef ribs are the bigger of the two and a person can probably finish off two at a dinner.These kinds of ribs do require more work.The cuts have a thin ,gummy,membrane that has to be pulled away.You can do this ,by simply inserting a knife point or even a screwdriver between the meat and the membrane.A butcher can do this as well. It will make for a more tender, juicier rib.Beef ribs also have more calories and more grams of fat.If you're having a big party , it"s more cost effective to have the pork ones.Beef ribs are great for a small barbecue with just family and a few friends. Either one can be slathered with sauce or rubbed with a spicy jerk.You can buy both or make them on your own.One of the best sauces is made with Dr. Pepper.The soda is a fun summer drink on it's own however also is great blended into a homemade sauce.One recipe calls for the drink to be mixed with orange juice ,honey, cider vinegar and cayenne pepper.If this is a bit too sweet, then go with a traditional sauce.!Most of them do contain sugar however notvas much as the Dr.Pepper one.Most contain a good amount of ketchup and cider vinegar.Liquid smoke is often added for an even smokier flavor. Finely minced and onion are also added.If you want a more teriyaki styled one, then use a mix of saki, soy sauce and cut scallions.A dry rub is another good way to infuse flavor.Most rubs give a nod to the Jamaican jerks.These are super spicy ,packed with chili powder ,and two or three kinds of ground peppercorns.Most ribs have some brown sugar added and this works well on both pork and beef.As for cooking both , use wood chips and not charcoal briqueetes.Try either apple, hickory or pecan for more flavor. Ribs are the ideal barbecue meat. Prepped and cooked right, they are pure heaven.This is the best of the grill,get them and enjoy!