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* WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 7, 2004
Hammin' it up for Easter eompuy
From staff reports
Are you planning to cook a
ham for Easter Sunday din
ner or to serve ham for an
Easter brunch? If you are,
you’ll be one of millions
doing the same across the
country. In fact, a 2004
nationwide survey by the
National Pork Board indi
cated that two out of three
American families will have
ham on Easter.
That’s no surprise at all to
ham-lovers. What could be
easier to fix? What could
have better leftovers?
“In addition to its tradi
tional role at Easter meals,
ham is consistently foolproof
to prepare,” says Pamela
Johnson, director of
Consumer Communications
for the Pork Information
Bureau of the National Pork
Board.
“Hosts want to celebrate
the holiday too, and because
ham is so easy to prepare,
hosts cannot only serve a
great meal, but also enjoy
the company and conversa
tion of family and friends.’’
For breakfast or early
brunch, Johnson suggests
treating guests to Breakfast
Ham Focaccia (See recipe
below).
“The combination of
focaccia, cheese and roasted
red sweet pepper topped
with cooked ham slices and
scrambled eggs is sure to
wake up and wow friends
and family with its unex
pected blend of flavors,”
Johnson says.
The Pork Council also rec
ommends Glazed Ham with
Dried Cherry and
Caramelized Onions. This
cooked, boneless ham is
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Easter Bunny Cake
Remember old-fashioned
cutout cakes? This cute
bunny, created in the Betty
Crocker kitchen is easily
made from carrot cake mix
frosted and covered with
mouthwatering coconut.
1 package Betty
Crocker Super Moist car
rot cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tub Betty Crocker
Whipped fluffy white
ready-to-spread frosting
1 cup shredded
Cutting and assembling Eastar Bunny Cake
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glazed with a mixture of
honey, mustard and cider
vinegar.
For a more elegant dinner
celebration, try Spiral-Cut
Ham with Slow-Roasted
Asparagus and Lemon-
Thyme Sauce. Topped with
a light sauce and full of fla
vor with lemon and thyme,
this spiral-cut ham looks
festive and tastes fabulous.
If ham leftovers survive a
midnight raid on the fridge,
families can continue to
enjoy the sweet-smoky fla
vor of ham once the holiday
is over. Leftover fully
cooked ham may be refriger
ated, tightly wrapped, for up
to seven days and used in an
array of dishes from sand
wiches to salads to pastas.
For ham leftover recipe
ideas, visit www.otherwhite
meat.com.
Breakfast Ham Focaccia
1 12-inch round or
square focaccia (Italian
flat bread), split horizon
tally
3/4 cup mascarpone
cheese (3 ounces)
2 tablespoons finely
chopped bottled roasted
red sweet peppers
2 teaspoons snipped
fresh rosemary’
6 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
18 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
16 slices cooked ham,
thinly sliced
1 recipe Asiago Cheese
Sauce (see below)
Snipped fresh rose
mary or parsley (option
al)
coconut
Pink or white con
struction paper for ears
Jelly beans or small
gumdrops
I cup shredded
coconut
Green food color
Preheat oven to 350 9 F.
Grease (or lightly spray with
cooking spray) bottoms only
of two 8-inch or 9-inch
round pans. Beat cake mix,
water, oil and eggs in large
bowl on low speed 30 sec
onds. Beat on medium speed
Food&Family
Preheat broiler. Broil cut
sides of focaccia until toast
ed. Remove from broiler.
In a small bowl, combine
mascarpone cheese, roasted
peppers and rosemary.
Spreud some of the mascar
pone mixture on each half of
the focaccia. Cut each half of
the focaccia into 4 wedges or
squares.
Meanwhile, with a whisk
or fork, in a medium bowl,
beat eggs, water, salt and
pepper together until com
bined. In a 10-inch skillet,
melt butter over medium
heat. Pour egg mixture into
skillet. Cook, without stir
ring, until mixture begins to
set. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes
more or until eggs are
cooked through but still
moist, lifting and folding
often to assure eggs cook
evenly. Remove from heat;
keep warm.
To assemble focaccia, broil
cheese-topped wedges or
squares for 2 minutes. Top
each with 2 slices of ham
and some of the scrambled
egg mixture. Spoon some of
the Asiago Cheese Sauce
over each wedge or square.
If desired, garnish with
additional snipped rosemary
or parsley.
Serves 8.
Asiago Cheese Sauce: In a
small saucepan, melt 1
tablespoon butter over
medium heat. Stir in 1 table
spoon all-purpose flour, 18
teasp<x>n salt and 18 tea
spoon pepper. Stir in 1 cup
half-and-half or light cream.
Cook and stir over medium
heat until thickened. Cook
and stir for 1 minute more.
Stir in 3/4 cup grated Asiago
cheese until melted. Makes
about 114 cups sauce.
Glazed Ham with
Cherries and Onions
3 pound cooked bone
less ham
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon stone
ground mustard
1 teaspoon cidr»r vine
gar
5 medium onions,
halved lengthwise and
thinly sliced (about 5
cups)
3 tablespoons butter
12 cup dried tart cher
ries
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground
cardamom
1/4 cup almonds, sliced
or slivered and toasted
2 minutes. Pour into pans.
Bake 8-inch pans 25 to 30
minutes, 9-inch pans 22 to
27 minutes. Cool 10 min
utes; remove from pans.
Cool completely, about 1
hour. Reserve 1 layer for
another use or to make a
second bunny. Cut 1 layer in
half as shown in diagram.
Put halves together with
frosting to form body. Place
cake upright on cut edge on
tray.
Cut out a notch about one
third of the way up one end
of body to form head (small
end) as shown in diagram.
Attach half of cutout piece
from tail with toothpicks.
Frost remaining frosting,
rounding body on sides.
Sprinkle with 1 cup coconut.
Cut ears from construction
paper; press into notch on
top. Use jelly beans for eyes
and nose.
Shake 1 cup coconut and 3
drops of food color in tightly
covered jar until evenly tint
ed. Surround bunny with
tinted coconut. Add addi
tional jelly beans if desired.
Store loosely covered.
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Heat oven to 325 degrees
F Place ham on rack in shal
low baking pun. Roast 45
minutes to 1 hour or until a
meat thermometer registers
140 degrees F. (about 15 to
18 minutes per pound).
Meanwhile, for glaze, in a
small bowl combine 2 table
spoons honey, 1 teaspoon
cider vinegar and 1 table
spoon mustard. Brush ham
with glaze during the last 5
minutes of baking
To caramelize onions,
cook onions in a covered
Dutch oven in hot butter
over medium heat for 12 to
15 minutes or until anions
are just tender, stirring occa
sionally. Stir in 1/2 cup dried
cherries, 1/3 cup cider vine
gar, 2 tablespoons honey and
1/2 teaspoon cardamom.
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Simmer, uncovered, for 5
minutes. Stir in toasted
almonds. Slice ham; serve
with onion mixture.
Serves 10.
Spiral-Cut Ham wltti
Slow-Roasted Asparagus
and Lemon-Thyme Sauce
7 to 8 pound spiral-cut,
bone-in, cooked ham
2 1/2 pounds fresh
asparagus
2 tablespoons cooking
oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon
pepper seasoning
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons chicken
bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon white pep
per
PAGE 8A
1 1/4 cups water
1 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely
shredded lemon peel
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons snipped
fresh thyme or parsley
Heat oven to 350 degrees
F Place ham on rack in a
shallow baking pan. Cover
pan tightly with foil. Roast
until an instant-read ther
mometer inserted in the
thickest portion (not touch
ing bone) registers 135
degrees F. (about 15 minutes
per pound).
Meanwhile, remove and
discard woody stems from
asparagus spears. Arrange
asparagus in a 15 x 10 x 2-
inch baking pan. Drizzle
with cooking oil. Sprinkle
See HAM, page 9A