toasted spiced honey ham

1 boneless country ham
2 cups honey, for glazing ham
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped fine
6 celery stalks
2 taplespoons toasted spice rub, recipe follows

preheat oven to 425 degrees.

place ham on an open brown paper bag for easy clean up. with the tip of a paring knife carefully score a 1-inch grid pattern around the outside of the ham. brush the entire surface of the meat on all sides with some of the honey.

season the entire surface of the meat on all sides with the toasted spice rub and thyme. add about a half cup of water to the base of the roaster. place ham on several celery sticks in the roasting pan.

cook for 1 hour. every 15 minutes, baste ham with juices that collect in the base of the roaster and the honey. let rest for 15 minutes before carving as desired.

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup (1-ounce) pure California sweet chili powder*
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. (toasting freshens spices, releases their oils, and makes them more fragrant, as well as adding a new dimension of flavor.) when the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. turn on the exhaust fan; add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool. put in a blender with the sweet chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground.

if you have a small spice mill blender or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

this is a michael chiarello recipe. i love his food!

brined and smoked turkey

1 day +

1 fresh turkey, free range and local, of course
8 quarts water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
12 garlic cloves, peeled
2 bunches fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh sage
32 ounces chicken stock
2 lemons
2-4 teaspoons olive oil

remove the bag of giblets and neck from turkey. rinse and blot dry. in a large bowl, mix salt, honey and water until dissolved.

line a large stock pot with a large, plastic oven bag, place turkey standing up in bag in pot. pour honey/salt mixture over turkey. add half of the herbs and all of the garlic to pot. add chicken stock. i usually gather the bag above the top of the turkey with one hand while pouring the last of the stock in to the bag through the hole where i have gathered it. it will be very full so have your twisty tie ready to seal off the bag.

refrigerate the turkey in the pot for 12-18 hours. brining for more than 18 hours may make it saltier than you like. i have done it for up to 30, and it was pretty salty toward the outside of the bird.

**we use a traeger smoker and applewood pellets** turn smoker on high for 20 minutes to preheat.

remove turkey from brine and pat dry. discard brine. rub skin with olive oil. sprinkle with pepper inside and out. place remainder of herbs inside the turkey cavity. i also chop some up and place it under the skin. squeeze lemons over top and place in cavity.

lower smoker to "smoke" setting and place turkey breast side up on grill. smoke about 30 minutes per pound at 235 degrees until you reach an internal temperature of 170 degrees at the breast and 180 at the thigh. for more info on the smoking process please check here.

allow bird to rest for 15 minutes before carving to ensure the juiciest bird. yum!

cinnamon pecan butterscotch yams

3 lbs yams/sweet potatoess
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup rum, scotch or bourbon
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Parboil unpeeled sweet pots in large skillet or dutch oven in 1 inch of water. (I used the pressure cooker for 8 minutes) Simmer 10-15 minutes, until tender but firm. Let cool. While cooling, combine sugar, butter, and spices in small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove skin of sweet potatoes. Cut lengthwise and place in baking dish. Remove sauce from heat and add rum. Pour sauce over sweet pots. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake covered for an hour, basting every 15 minutes.

layered peppermint bark

8 ounces dark chocolate candy coating, chopped
4 ounces semisweet baking squares or 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
12 ounces white chocolate candy coating, chopped
2 teaspoons pure peppermint extract, divided
3/4 cup peppermints or candy canes, crushed

line baking sheet with waxed paper. in the top of a double boiler, melt dark chocolate and semisweet over hot, but not boiling water. stir until completely melted. remove from heat and stir in one teaspoon of peppermint extract. pour in a thin layer on baking sheet. allow to cool about 30 minutes.

melt the white chocolate as you did with the dark. once it is completely melted, stir in a teaspoon of peppermint extract and pour over dark chocolate. sprinkle the peppermint candy evenly over the top and allow to cool completely.

break into pieces and store in airtight containers. do not store with other candies!

toffee

45 minutes plus cooling time

2.5 cups almonds, chopped and toasted
6 (1.55 ounce) Hershey bars
1 lb butter
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

line two baking sheets with wax paper. chop and toast almonds. sprinkle about 1.5 cups of the almonds across the two baking sheets. break up the 6 chocolate bars and open them so that you have easy access to them when you need them.

pull out the candy thermometer and vanilla so that you have it handy. in a 3 quart sauce pan, over medium heat, bring the butter, sugar and water to a boil. stir constantly so that it does not burn until it reaches the hard crack stage (300 degrees). this takes quite a while. you will see the mixture start to turn to a caramel color and this is when you know you are getting close!

when you reach 300 degrees, quickly remove from heat, stir in vanilla and pour a thin layer over the nuts on each sheet. it will not fully cover. that is fine. spread with a metal knife or spatula. place the chocolate pieces on the toffee and allow to melt for a few moments. sprinkle remaining nuts on top and lightly press in to chocolate.

once toffee is completely cooled, break into pieces and store in airtight containers. i use the crumbles and small pieces to top ice cream. it is so good.

note: i am a multi-tasker but this is one recipe you need to really focus all of your attention on. please do not plan on making this recipe at the same time you are doing anything else! something will burn, trust me. :)

irish soda bread #2

1 hour, 20 minutes

3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 teaspoons salt
1 cup raisins or currants
2 eggs
16 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 egg yolk

preheat oven to 350. in a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, caraway seeds and salt. whisk until well combined. add raisins. mix until well distributed. in a small bowl beat two eggs. add sour cream to eggs and blend. pour sour cream mixture in to dry ingredients. mix until completely absorbed. form in to ball. place on a greased cookie sheet and form in to a dome shape, approximately 8" in diameter. cut cross in to top about 1/2 " deep. whisk egg yolk and heavy cream in small bowl. lightly coat loaf using a pastry brush. bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inserted in to center. add a bit of butter and eat.

i made this yesterday. originally, i thought it was a little too cake-like. i grew up with a grandma from ireland so i like the rustic qualities of an authentic soda bread. however, on day two it is actually quite nice, not as crumbly as my first recipe. i am thinking of combining the two recipes to make something in the middle. both are very good, depending on how you like your soda bread.

irish soda bread

1 hour 20 minutes, including baking time

3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 cups raisins
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

preheat oven to 350. in a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and caraway seeds until well combined. using two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. stir in raisins until evenly distributed. in a small bowl whisk together buttermilk,egg and baking soda. pour buttermilk mixture in to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until all of the liquid is absorbed. it should look like a rough biscuit dough. Use your hands to press it in to a round, dome shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Transfer the loaf to a baking sheet. in a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. with a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross in to the top of the loaf about a 1/2 inch deep. Bake, rotating half way through until deep golden brown and a wooden skewer, inserted, comes out clean, about 70 minutes. remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. store in plastic wrap on the counter, after completely cooled.

i used this recipe last year, after finding it on the martha stewart website. it is really close to the soda bread that my grandma used to make, so very authentic, indeed. perfect with a smear of butter.