Country Ham And Cheddar Pie With Whole Grain Mustard And Greens With Apricot Vinaigrette And Almonds Recipes

COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• Unwrap ham and scrub off any surface mold (if you hung in a sack for 6 months you'd have mold too). Carefully remove hock with hand saw. (If this idea makes you eye your first aid kit, ask your butcher to do it. But make sure you keep the hock, it's the best friend collard greens ever had.)
• Place ham in cooler and cover with clean water. (As long as it's not too dirty you can use what southerners call the "hose pipe"). Stash the cooler in the bushes. If it's summer, throw in some ice. If it's freezing out, keep the cooler inside. Change the water twice a day for two days turning the ham each time.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place ham in a large disposable turkey-roasting pan and add enough Dr. Pepper to come about halfway up the side of the ham. Add pickle juice if you've got it and tent completely with heavy-duty foil. Cook for 1/2 hour then reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and cook another 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn the ham over, insert an oven safe thermometer (probe-style is best) and cook another 1 1/2 hours, or until the deepest part of the ham hits 140 degrees F (approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound total).
• Let rest 1/2 hour then slice paper-thin. Serve with biscuits or soft yeast rolls.
• Cooks note: Even after soaking, country ham is quite salty, so thin slicing is mandatory. If you're a bacon fan, however, cut a thicker (1/4-inch) slice and fry it up for breakfast.

MIXED GREENS WITH APRICOT VINAIGRETTE AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Whisk together the vinegar and jam in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
• Put the greens in a large bowl, toss with the vinaigrette and top with the almonds.

HAM WITH WHOLE-GRAIN MUSTARD AND APRICOT GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Wrap ham completely with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Transfer ham to oven and bake for 1 hour.
• Place apricot preserves in a 1-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Transfer preserves to a blender and puree until smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve set over a small bowl; discard solids. You should have slightly less than 1/2 cup remaining. Add mustard and vinegar to bowl of preserves; stir to combine.
• Unwrap ham; discard parchment and foil. Transfer ham to a cutting board. Using a large sharp knife, score fat in a diamond pattern, making the lines about 3/4 inch apart. Return ham to roasting pan.
• Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees. Brush ham evenly with 3/4 of the preserve mixture and return to oven. Bake ham for 30 minutes. Brush ham with remaining glaze and continue cooking 10 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board until ready to carve.

COUNTRY HAM AND CHEDDAR MINI HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour, creating a roux. Allow the roux to cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. The roux will thicken as it cooks into a bechamel. Once it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, take off the heat. Set aside.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry until 1/8 inch thick. Cut one sheet of puff pastry into 3 equal pieces longwise. Cut each piece in half crosswise, creating 6 equal pieces. Line a baking sheet with a piece of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Place the pastry on the lined baking sheet and brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash.
• On one half of the piece of puff pastry, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese and top with a slice of country ham. Spread 1 tablespoon of the bechamel over the ham. Repeat with another layer of cheese and ham, and finish with one tablespoon of bechamel. Fold the remaining half of the pastry over the filling. Crimp with edges with the tines of a fork. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Cut slits on the top of the pastry to allow the steam to escape the hand pie as it bakes. Repeat with the rest of the pastry.
• Bake the hand pies for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Immediately place on a wire rack to cool.