Maggie Monday: Derby (Chantilly) Ham

I like to play around with recipes as much as anyone but this is too much! Maggie makes a great looking ham below but in switching out the Kentucky bourbon for brandy you take the Derby out of the ham. Maybe this is Chantilly Ham if the brandy was French. I’m just having fun with you Maggie…  😉 

If you like ham, please for the love of all that is pure and good in the world, try this one. I make it about twice each year-  we always have one on  Christmas day. It is my absolute favorite. The berries, orange juice, and bourbon are perfect for the salty ham. It is very easy, and impossible to mess up. The ham is gorgeous, and great for a crowd. It looks and tastes impressive, so this is one to consider if you are cooking for guests.

I got the recipe from Victoria Magazine back in the early 90’s. I’ve tweaked it a bit over time. I’ve substituted Brandy for Bourbon- used fresh cranberries- you can mix this up lots of ways.  The sauce gets nice and thick, and you can use it from the pan as gravy. Recently I popped the roasting pan on the stovetop and added about ½ cup of red wine and 2 tablespoons of butter, and made a reduction that was delicious.

Don’t wait for a special occasion- just get the biggest ham you can find, bake it up, then you’ll have tons of leftovers for all the other ham recipes I’ll post for you!

Derby Ham

What you need:

1 massive ham- I get the biggest I can find- usually at least 8-10 lbs

Blend:

1 large can crushed cranberry sauce

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup orange juice concentrate, thawed

¼ cup bourbon or brandy

3Tbs Dijon mustard

Whole cloves

Reduction: (optional)

Pan drippings- all of them

½ cup red wine

2 Tbs butter

What you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Score fat side of ham in diamonds. Place a whole clove in the cross- corner of each diamond. Place ham on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour sauce over ham. Cover ham with heavy-duty aluminum foil- forming a tent over the ham but not touching it. Bake for 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes.

Remove ham from pan to carving board and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Place roasting pan over two burners on stove-top. Add red wine and butter . Over medium-high heat, bring sauce to a boil, and let cook until reduced to a consistency you desire. Slice ham, and serve with warm sauce.