my cupboard love |
I'm not sure how it happened, but my family is officially turkeyed out. Easter came and the consensus was clear....anything but turkey for dinner.....please! Considering we only have it once or twice a year, I was surprised by the vehemence with which my gang pleaded for mercy. So the challenge was on and I am happy to report that I think I won....with a spiral cut ham no less. Brown sugar glazes, pineapple slices all seem so tired, so done. We usually have it with the sweet and sour mustard sauce that I shared with you before, but I wanted something different, something new, something with a bit of sass. After poking through numerous cookbooks and surfing the net, I found it. An orange glaze! It was different. It was tasty. It was fantastic! The edges of the ham became candied, sweet and citrusy, without completely overpowering the smokiness of the ham. A real keeper of a recipe that I will be making again for sure. Ina's Orange Glaze Adapted from the Barefoot Contessa 6 cloves garlic 8 1/2 oz orange marmalade 1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard 1 cup brown sugar, packed Zest of one orange 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed Place cloves of garlic in food processor and pulse until finely minced. Add the remaining ingredients and process until mixture is smooth and well combined. (Alternatively, mince garlic by hand and place in bowl. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth) Brush glaze over ham and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes and then baste ham with more glaze. Continue to bake ham for another 20 minutes and then remove from oven and brush with more glaze. Return to oven and bake until ham is warmed through, about one hour in total. Just for fun, I learned how to fold a napkin like a bunny here. It must be a square napkin...rectangular ones do not work out well (with thanks to Kim for lending me from her stash). It added a bit of Easter whimsy to breakfast. Hope your Easter was blessed with family, friends and good food Dear Reader!
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A couple of weeks ago my old friend Walter finally retired. He had been talking about it on and off for years, but the time had finally come for him to say so long. Walter is nearly 75 years old so I guess it was time. He took great glee in teasing and tormenting me. Over the years, I let out many shrieks...from the heat seeking elastics that never missed their mark to the sneaking up and startling me. I miss him. We worked together for about eight years and in that time we shared many laughs, corn relish from his wife Ruth, pickled beets from my pantry and Walter's fudge. He makes the best fudge! From time to time, he would come in with a batch to share. One Christmas, he gave me a tin full and included the recipe. Ever since then it has made my Christmas baking every year. It has become a favourite, expected treat to those that I give my Christmas baking to. He has lots of friends in the business who he would meet for lunch on occasion. Gail was a favourite lunch date of his as they always went for fish and chips at Duckworth's. It was during one of these dates that he told her about my blog, unbeknownst to me. Later that afternoon, Gail called me to say how much she enjoyed reading it. We had a nice chat for about twenty minutes, talking about all things food. It would seem that we are kindred spirits! We eventually met a few weeks later at Walter's retirement party. Our husbands commiserated about life married to foodies while Gail and I compared notes about cookbooks, recipes and our favourite places to shop. It was a real treat to speak to somebody who completely understands the need to have four different salts in one's pantry. Most of my family and friends don't understand that at all. They just think I am odd. I prefer quirky. Imagine my surprise when the following week Gail dropped by my office with an old cookbook of hers that she wanted to share with me. It was completely unexpected and made my day. She had written me a lovely note about the history of the book. It is from the 1940's and had been given by the Canadian government to war brides. This copy had been given to one Mrs. Jeffries who had come from England. Gail was lucky enough to have met her, and be given the book by her son. It has been well loved and well used as evident from the drips and splats throughout the pages. Used cookbooks are one of my favourite things - how nice to know the history of this one's previous owner. Clipped recipes and a shopping list stuck between its aged pages. What a treasure trove! It is a fantastic read - it offers instructions on how to set a proper table, including where to place the ashtrays! Hard to imagine that now. How lovely of Gail to trust me with it and let me borrow it. I have been enjoying poking through it...I am hoping to find a recipe to share with you Dear Reader.
Walter's Maple Fudge 2 cups brown sugar, packed 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup evaporated milk 2 tbsp corn syrup 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp maple extract 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional) Butter sides of heavy 2 quart saucepan. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, whipping cream, evaporated milk, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture comes to a boil. Boil rapidly over medium heat, stirring to soft ball stage, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, add 2 tbsp butter. Do not stir. Let stand for 15 minutes. Add one tsp maple extract and beat with electric mixer on low speed until butter and extract mixed in. Turn mixer to high and beat until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat or fudge will become dry and crumbly. Butter 9 x 9 square pan. Press fudge into prepared pan and smooth until evenly spread. Allow to cool then cut into small squares. Enjoy! |