Christmas Day Dinner - Weihnachtsessen 2013

In the beginning of the year, I ordered a Country Ham at Col. Newsom from Kentucky, which was supposed to be the centerpiece of our Christmas Dinner this year. A couple weeks ago, It arrived by mail and I had it cut in half by my friendly butcher Erik. Three days before the Christmas Day Dinner, I put it in a large tub and let it soak for 3 days to remove some of the salt. All what was left to do than was to cook it very slowly to keep it tender. It came out gorgeous, with a very unique, great flavor. It tastes much stronger than regular, brined ham, so the key to enjoy it is to slice it very thin. Red Eye Gravy is a perfect accompaniment.

The other sides on the plate : Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onions with Gremolata, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Maple Syrup and Chipotle Chilis. It was a very nice, stressless dinner, great to prepare in advance and interesting with its Italian and Southern elements. Before the ham, we had Michael Chiarello's Very Green Broccoli Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata and dessert was Pear Ginger Crème Brûlée Pie ( which deserves an own post later on )

Michael Chiarello's Very Green Broccoli Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata

Anfang des Jahres habe ich einen speziellen Schinken, einen luftgetrockneten, leicht geräucherten Landschinken aus Kentucky, einen Country Ham, für unser Weihnachtessen bestellt. Vor ein paar Wochen kam er tatsächlich an, und ich ließ ihn bei meinem Metzger in halb schneiden. # Tage vor dem geplannten Verzehr habe ich ihn in Wasser eingelegt, um ein bisschen vom Salz auszuschwemmen. Das einzige, was sonst noch zu tun war, war ihn ganz langsam sieden zu lassen. So bleibt er schön zart. Der Geschmack war auzgezeichnet, und eine Red Eye Sauce, eine Sauce mit Kaffee, passte bestens dazu. 

Der restliche Teil desWeihnachtsmenüs : Als Vorspeise eine ' sehr grüne Broccoli Suppe mit Haselnuß Gremolata, Beilagen zum Schinken waren gerösteter Butternut Kürbis und rote Zwiebeln, Kartoffelbrei, Grüne Bohnen und Süßkartoffelbrei mit Ahorn Sirup und Chipotle Chillies. Der Nachtisch war ein Birnen Ingwer Crème Brûlée Kuchen ( der einen eigenen Post verdient, später )

===== Title Index (2 recipes) =====

Country Ham with Red Eye Gravy

Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Maple Syrup and Chipotles

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: Country Ham with Red Eye Gravy

Categories: Pork, Main, Christmas

     Yield: 12 Servings

    1/2            Dry cured 'Country" ham, butt end or shank end

      2      cups  Bourbon

========================= FOR THE GRAVY =========================

    1/2       cup  Plain, strong coffee

    1/2       cup  Water, boiling

      1   tablesp. Flour

                   Pepper

    1/4       cup  Heavy cream

============================ SOURCE ============================

            Classical Southern Cooking, Damon Lee Fowler

            -- Edited *RK* 12/26/2013 by

            -- Ralph Knauth

Under cold, running water, scrub the ham all over with a stiff brush

to remove all mold. Place in a large tub and cover with cold water,

soak for 2 or 3 days, changing the water three times during this

process.

Drain the ham, put in a large pot and cover with water. Bring slowly

to the boiling point, skimming off the scum that rises to the surface.

Add the bourbon, reduce the heat to a barely perceptible simmer.

The steam bubbles should just break the surface of the water so

that it hardly moves. Never allow it to actually boil. Simmer the

ham for 3 to 4 hours, until it is just tender. Turn off the heat,

than let the ham cool a bit in the liquid. Drain, cut off the skin

and some of the fat layer and carve into very thin slices. Serve

with the gravy.

For the gravy, fry some bites of ham and some of the fat you can cut

off the ham before cooking it. Remove the cracklings, than stir in

the flour and cook for a minute or two. Deglaze with the coffee, add

the hot water and let cook for 5 minutes until it thickens. Add some

cream, if you like and season with pepper. Serve in a warmed

sauceboat.

=====

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: Mashed Sweet Potatoes With Maple Syrup and Chipotles

Categories: Side, Thanksgiving, Oven

     Yield: 6-8 Servings

  2 1/4        kg  (about 10 medium or 5 large) sweet potatoes,

                   -- scrubbed

1/3-1/2       cup  Maple syrup

    3/4       cup  Sour cream or créme fraîche

      4     teasp. Purée from canned chipotles

  1 1/2     teasp. Ground cinnamon

                   Salt to taste

============================ SOURCE ============================

            NY Times, Adapted from Bobby Flay

            -- Edited *RK* 12/19/2013 by

            -- Ralph Knauth

This is a Bobby Flay recipe ginned up specifically for Thanksgiving

in response to a request from The Times back in 2003. Mr. Flay came

through in spades: The sweetness of the potatoes is amplified by

maple syrup, then taken in a completely different direction by the

addition of fiery chipotle sauce. Sour cream knits the dish together

perfectly.

TIME 45 minutes

PREPARATION 

Put oven rack in middle position and heat oven to 375

degrees. Place potatoes on large baking sheet and bake until soft,

35 to 40 minutes for medium potatoes, up to 1 hour for large.

Meanwhile, combine syrup, sour cream or créme fraîche, chipotle

purée, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. When

potatoes are tender, remove from oven and slice in two lengthwise.

Scoop hot flesh into a potato ricer or food mill, and purée into

bowl with other ingredients. Stir with rubber spatula to combine.

Potatoes should be light and fluffy. Taste for seasoning, transfer

to warm serving bowl and serve immediately.

=====

===== Titelliste (2 Rezepte) =====

Gekochter Schinken mit Kaffee Sauce

Süsskartoffelbrei mit Ahornsirup und Chipotles

==========  REZKONV-Rezept - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Titel: Gekochter Schinken mit Kaffee Sauce

Kategorien: Fleisch, Schwein, Hauptgericht

     Menge: 12 Portionen

    1/2            Schinken, ca. 10 Pfund, luftgetrocknet ( Country

                   -- Ham )

    500        ml  Bourbon

========================= FOR THE GRAVY =========================

    150        ml  Kaffee, stark

    150        ml  Wasser, kochend

      1      Essl. Mehl

                   Pfeffer

    100        ml  Sahne

============================ QUELLE ============================

            Classical Southern Cooking, Damon Lee Fowler

            -- Erfasst *RK* 26.12.2013 von

            -- Ralph Knauth

Den Schinken gut unter kaltem Wasser abbürsten, in einer groosen

Schüssel, gut mit kaltem Wasser bedeckt, für 2 oder 3 Tage

einweichen. Dabei das Wasser dreimakl wechseln.

Den Schinken aus dem wasser nehmen, gut abtropfen lassen, in einen

großen Topf geben und mit kaltem Wasser bedecken. Erhitzen, bis das

Wasser fast kocht, dabei den aufsteigenden Schaum abschöpfen. Den

Bourbon zugeben und die Hitze so regulieren, das das Wasser gerade

nicht kocht. Schinken 3-4 Stunden sieden lassen, dann etwas im Sud

abkühlen lassen. Aus der Kochbrühe nehmen, und in sehr dünne

Scheiben schneiden. Mit der Sauce servieren.

Für die Sauce etwas Fett und Schinkenstücke, die man vor dem Kochen

abgeschnitten hat, in einer Pfanne auslassen. Aus der Pfanne nehmen,

das Mehl in das Fett einrühren nd kurz braten. Kaffee und Wasser

angießen, durchkochen, mit Pfeffer abschmecken. Wer will, kann auch

etwas Sahne verwenden. Sauce in einer angewärmten Saucenschüssel zum

Schinken reichen.

Ralph. Sehr gut. Weihnachtsessen 2013.

=====

==========  REZKONV-Rezept - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Titel: Süsskartoffelbrei mit Ahornsirup und Chipotles

Kategorien: Thanksgiving

     Menge: 6-8 Personen

      2        kg  Süsskartoffeln

    100        ml  Ahorn Sirup

    200        ml  Schmand

      4      Teel. Chipotles in Adobe Sauce, püriert

  1 1/2      Teel. Zimt

                   Salz

============================ QUELLE ============================

            NY Times, Adapted from Bobby Flay

            -- Erfasst *RK* 19.12.2013 von

            -- Ralph Knauth

Ofen auf 190°C aufheizen. Kartoffeln auf ein Backblech geben, mit

einer Gabel einstechen und backen, bis sie weich sind, ca. 1 Stunde.

In der Zwischenzeit die restlichen Zutaten verrühren. Wenn die

Kartoffeln weich sind, in halb schneiden, kurz ausdampfen lassen und

dann das weiche Innere auslöffeln. Mit der Kartoffelpresse in den

Schmand Mix drücken, gut verrühren. Die Kartoffeln sollten leicht

und luftig sein. Abschmecken, sofort servieren.

=====

A ham from Kentucky - Ein Schinken aus Kentucky

We had fresh ham a couple of times, and I liked it. But than I heard people talking about Country Ham, and how much better it is :) I did a little research, and, after the most praises were sung for Col. Bill Newsom's Country Hams from Kentucky, I called them up and ordered one to be shipped to me in time for Easter . At least, that was what I tried. But than they told me, they sell out of hams very quickly and you have to preorder them. At the time, I called, 6 month in advance. So, since that was the next best thing I could do, I preoredered one, about for beginning of December. Those hams are dry cured, slow smoked and aged for about 10 month. They are said to have an intense pork flavor, due to shrinking and enzymatic activity during aging, and are not too salty.

They could not promise an exact delivery dates, because hams age differently and they mail them out when they are perfect. Well, "our" ham, with 16.27 pounds, came by mail 3 weeks ago, ( without refrigeration, by the way, because they don't need any ) and I kept it in a cool place since than. Today I brought it to my butcher Erik at Lunardi's Burlingame, who cut it in half and cut off two 1/2 inch slices as well. Of course, we tried it, as soon as it was cut, and we both were blown away, so good it was. Tastes almost like prosciutto, at about 1/4 of the price. One half we will have for Christmas dinner, boiled and maybe glazed, the two slices will end up as pan fried ham steaks and the second half will be cut in thin slices and eaten raw.

Wir lieben Schinken. Zumindest frischen Schinken, im ganzen gebacken und in dickere Scheiben geschnitten. Dann, irgendwann letztes Jahr, haben mir Leute erzählt, wie toll Country Ham schmecken würde, ein Schinken, der nicht frisch ist, sondern für 10 Monate luftgetrocknet und leicht geräuchert ist. Ich habe mich ein bisschen kundig gemacht und dann einen bestellt bei Col. Bill Newsom aus Kentucky. Zumindest wollte ich das machen, für Ostern, aber seine Schinken sind so beliebt, das sie schnell ausverkauft sind und man vorbestellen muss. Das habe ich dann auch gemacht, und nach etwa 10 Monaten kam der Schinken dann tatsächlich mit der Post bei uns an. Es war ein kompletter Schinken, etwa 8 kg, also viel zu viel um es auf einmal aufzuessen. So bin ich dann zu unserem freundlichen Metzger Erik gegangen, der ihn mir in halb gesägt hat und außerdem noch zwei etwa 1 cm dicke Schinken'steaks' abgesägt hat. Danke, Erik ! Auf jeden Fall wird die erste Hälfte die Hauptattraktion unseres Weihnachtsessens sein ...

16.27 lbs of pure indulgence.

Edit :

A couple weeks later, 3 days before Christmas Day Dinner, I soaked the ham for 3 days in water, changing it once a day during that time. That's how it looked after the nice, long soak :

 Than it was simmered for about 4 hours on the day of the dinner.

Pfeffernüsse

Still baking cookies  Today I made the Pfeffernüsse, for which I kneaded the dough a week ago. It was sitting since than on the counter, waiting to be shaped into cookies. 

Pfeffernüsse are one of the most traditional cookies in Germany, the recipe goes back to the old merchants in the middle ages, who brought, besides pepper, exotic spices to Europe. The name Pfeffernüsse literally translates to pepper nut, though no pepper was used in this recipe, but a lot of spices like cardamon, cloves or allspice, which were all called ' pepper ' in the ancient times. As a leavening agent Pottasche ( Potassium carbonate ) is used. That's why the dough has to sit for a week before baking and that's where the cookies get the unique, slightly bitter taste from. When you buy Pfeffernüsse nowadays, they are usually coated in royal icing. I like them more traditional, just dusted with a bit of powdered sugar.

I portion the dough into walnut sized pieces by using a small ice cream scoop . Each ball I cut in half, that gave a consistent and walnut kinda size.

The Pfeffernüsse, dusted with a little powdered sugar. They have a nice spicy flavor with  a chewy texture and a little crunch. I will make them again next year.

-=========  REZKONV-Recipe - RezkonvSuite v1.4

     Title: Pfeffernüsse
Categories: Baking, Cookies, Christmas
     Yield: 50 Cookies

    300     grams  Sugar beets syrup ( Zuckerrübensirup ), a sort
                   -- of molasses (*)
    125     grams  Sugar
     75     grams  Duck fat
     50     grams  Butter, unsalted
    1/2     teasp. Cloves, ground
      2     teasp. Cinnamon, ground
    1/2     teasp. Allspice, ground
    500     grams  Flour ( type 550, I used white whole wheat flour
                   -- )
      1     teasp. Cardamonpods, seeds ground
     50     grams  Almonds, ground
     15     grams  Pottasche ( Potassium carbonate )(*)
      4   tablesp. Rum
      1            Egg

============================ SOURCE ============================
            Stern 52/1992
            -- Edited *RK* 12/08/2013 by
            -- Ralph Knauth