Boiled Ham Dijonnaise

By corlear

Ingredients

• 8 to 10-pound smoked Virginia or Smithfield ham
• 3 or 4 peeled oiions
• cloves
• 4 carrots, scraped and quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• bunch of celery, root end and almost all leaves cut off, the rest chopped
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and halved
• 4 sprigs paisley
• sprig fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 quart consommé
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon chervil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ½ teaspoons prepared French mustard
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon chopped gherkins

Details

Servings 20

Preparation

Step 1

Scrub ham thoroughly, rinse trim off any black or smoke discolorations. Cover with cold water and let soak for 12 to 14 hours.

Drain, place skin side up in a large kettle. Cover with boiling water, add onions, each stuck with a clove, and carrots, bay leaves, celery, garlic, parsley and thyme.

When water is boiling again, reduce heat and cook slowly for 25 to 30 minutes per pound. Remove garlic and discard it after first half hour.

When ham is done, let it cool in its liquor; then remove and skim (Pot liquor makes fine base for soup.) Remove all excess fat from ham. Place ham in roasting pan and start oven at moderate (350° F).

Prepare sauce. Combine tarragon, vinegar and wine in an enamel saucepan; let boil gently until reduced by one half. Add consommé and boil gently until sauce is again reduced by about one half. This leaves about 3 cups. Add parsley, chervil, butter and mustard. Stir for about 3 mmutes.

Place ham in oven and let heat and brown about ½ hour; baste every few minutes with the sauce. For final bastings add capers and gherkins to sauce.

Place ham on hot platter, pour all sauce from baking pan over it.