As I was reading my latest December issue of bon appetit, the editor’s letter page confirmed what I have thought for a long time.  There is nothing like a ham sandwich! What an inexpensive party food!  Just place a ham, some great condiments and good homemade rolls and your guest will really appreciate you!

I’m not sure if anyone knows or cares about the difference between hams; but if you have time to read; this link will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about hams.

When I am going to make a ham, I prefer a smoked, shankless, defatted ham – the whole thing,  it will come in weighing between 12#-18#’s but it is so worth it to roast the whole thing.  You can always make scalloped potatoes, split pea and ham soup, bean soup, you get the drift.  If that is too big for your family, be sure to get the “shank” end of the ham, it has way more meat on it than the “butt” end.

I tried this recipe from the December 2011 issue of bon appetit on a client that was having a group of friends over for a little holiday cheer.  We made the ham, put out a basket of homemade rolls , a bowl of Mustard Horseradish sauce,Cranberry chipolte mayonnaise, Green olive spread, Dijon mustard and Heinz Ketchup   It was a hit!

Holiday Ham with Riesling and Mustard

Mustard Horseradish Sauce

3/4 cup Real mayonnaise

1 1/2 T. Dijon mustard

1 T. whole grain mustard

1/2 T. Prepared Horseradish

2 T. Sour Cream

Pinch of salt

Whisk together all ingredients and serve at room temperature.

Cranberry Chipolte Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Real mayonnaise

2/3 cup whole berry cran. sauce

1 to 2 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce, they are quite spicy so just add the amount of sauce and chile to your liking ( these are found in the Mexican section of the grocery store) – finely chopped

Combine all together, serve at room temperature.

Green Olive Spread (this is also great on grilled burgers)

1/4 cup Real mayonnaise

1/4 cup drained, chopped green olives (I put mine on paper towels to make sure they are dry so the juice doesn’t separate in the mayo)

1 T. honey

Combine all together, serve at room temperature.

For the homemade rolls I used a recipe from the Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary cookbook.  They reminded me of the soft rolls my Grandma used to make.  They are quite easy and so worth the time and effort!

No – Knead light Rolls

makes 15 -2 inch rolls

Combine in a small bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.

1/4 cup warm (105 to 115F) water*

1 package active dry yeast

Combine in a large bowl:

1/4 cup real butter

2 T. sugar

1 1/4 tsp. salt

Pour over these ingredients and stir until they are melted and dissolved:

1 cup hot water

Let cool to lukewarm, then stir in yeast.  Beat in:

1 large egg

Stir in and beat until a soft dough forms:

About 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Put the dough in a large greased bowl and turn to coat with oil.  Cover with foil and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours.  Punch down the dough.  Divide the dough into 15 pieces and shape into round rolls.  Place in greased muffin cups.  Cover with a clean light weight kitchen towel and let rise until about doubled in volume – about 45 minutes.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake until golden 15 -18 minutes.  Remove from pan onto a rack to cool.  Brush tops with melted butter.

*Just a little tip on yeast.  I have “killed” so many batches of yeast in my day.  Finally I called my Grandma and asked her what I was doing wrong.  This is what she told me in a nut shell.  “Never warm the water you are going to add yeast to in the microwave; just let your hot water run from the faucet so it is like drinking warm tea.  If your water isn’t warm enough, just put the yeast and water  out of a drafty area and place a towel over the bowl to let it “work”.  The yeast will just take a little longer to work; but if your water is too hot, it will “kill” the yeast”  she is right; haven’t had a problem since!

HAPPY COOKING!