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• 1/2 ready-to-eat, cooked ham, bone-in, uncut (NOT spiral cut), shank end or butt end, about 9-11 pounds

Sweet Hot Honey Mustard Glaze

• 3 Tbsp sweet hot honey mustard (or brown mustard with honey)
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• About 50 cloves

OR

Honey Thyme Glaze

• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dry)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Honey Thyme Glaze adapted from Gourmet

2 Preheat oven to 325F. Place ham, fattier side up, in a foil-lined roasting pan. Score a diamond pattern in the fat with a sharp knife, about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch deep, and the parallel lines about 1 1/2-inches apart. Do not score the meat itself, just the fat and any skin. You can score the fat to as deep as where the fat meets the meat. If you want you can first cut off any skin that might still be on the ham, but it isn’t necessary.

3 If using cloves (with the Sweet Honey Mustard Glaze), you can either put them in before applying the glaze or after. They look better if applied after, but it is easier to see the lines in the ham as a guide for placement if you put them in first. Place the cloves in the center of the diamonds to form a nice pattern around the top and sides of the ham. (Some people put the cloves in the intersection points of the scores. Do as you wish. You just want a nice pattern.)

4 Prepare glaze.

If using the sweet honey mustard glaze, mix the mustard with the brown sugar in a small bowl.

If using the honey thyme glaze, mix thyme in with the hot melted butter and let sit for a few minutes. In a small saucepan on high heat, let the cider vinegar reduce down from 1/4 cup to 1 Tbsp, remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and thyme. Add the honey, the brown sugar, and the Worcestershire sauce.

4 Using a pastry brush, brush whichever glaze you are using over the ham. Only use about third of the glaze (reserve the rest for later in cooking). Try to work the glaze into the scored lines.

5 Place ham in oven. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours (check after 1 hour, will take longer if the ham is not at room temp to begin with), or about 10 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature of the ham is 110-120 (use a meat thermometer). (Note that the ham is already cooked when you buy it, all you are trying to do is heat it up for eating.) Baste the ham with the glaze a couple of times during the cooking. If you check on the ham and think that the glaze is at risk of getting too browned (like on the way to burnt), you can cover with a piece of foil.

6 When the ham has reached the desired temperature, finish it off in the broiler for a minute or two just to get some nice browning on the top. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the ham all over with pan juices. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

7 To slice a bone-in ham, cut around the bone first. Then use a long, sharp knife to slice off pieces around the bone.

Another way to slice the ham is to make first a slice on wide end to get a flat lying surface. Then stand the ham upright on the wide end and make slices down the side, working around the bone.

Remember to save the ham bone for soup!

Easily serves a dozen, with leftovers.

2 Fill a medium sized saucepan half way with water, bring to a boil. Add the asparagus and reduce heat slightly to a simmer. Parboil the asparagus for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the hot water. While the asparagus are still hot, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, Parmesan, and lemon rind. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temperature.

Note that when you are working with so few ingredients, it’s important to make sure they are of the highest quality.

2 Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the drained, blanched ribs and simmer for 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook until cream reduces by two-thirds.

3 While the cream is reducing, cook up your pasta according to the pasta’s package directions.

4 Mix creamed chard with pasta. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Serves four.

2 Add lemon juice, sugar, and (optional) corn syrup to the bowl. Stir with a spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3 Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Serve immediately, or chill for a few hours. Best eaten the day it’s made.

Makes a little less than one quart.

1 cup heavy cream
1 pound whole milk ricotta cheese
8 ounces mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Grated zest of one lemon
2 pounds strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, or to taste

1 In a medium bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks form.

2 In a large bowl combine the ricotta, mascarpone, 1/2 cup of the sugar, and lemon zest. Using an electric beater, whip the ricotta-mascarpone mixture until thoroughly combined and smooth.

3 Gradually fold the whipped cream into the ricotta until the mixture is smooth. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

4 Put strawberries in another bowl. Half an hour before serving gently mix in the remaining sugar and balsamic vinegar. Make sure you don’t let the strawberries sit in the balsamic vinegar much longer than 30 minutes before serving or the acidity of the vinegar will cook the strawberries.

5 When you are ready to serve, fill glass bowls halfway with the strawberries and their juices. Spoon on the ricotta-mascarpone mousse or use a pastry bag to pipe the mousse.

Serves 8.

2 Arrange potato slices in layers in a gratin pan or baking pan, sprinkling salt and pepper over each layer. Pour sherry over the potatoes. Pour the melted butter over the potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are well coated.

3 Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, but not mushy, and they are slightly browned on top. Remove from oven, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Serves 4.