Mahaila McKellar’s Holiday Maple Ham

Ingredients:Serves6–8

Ham

• 1⅓cup100%pureMapleSyrup(GradeA,darkamber)• 1cuporganicCoconutPalmSugar• ¼cup+2tsporganicDijonMustard• ⅛cup+1tspwhite(mildlyflavored)raworganicHoney• 1TablorganicExtraVirginOliveOil• 1smallpinchorganicgroundBlackPepper• 1fullycookedbonelesspasture-raisedHam,5-6lb(nonitrates/nitrites)(natural,

notsmoked)

Carrots

• 2lb.Carrots• 1largebulbpeeledfreshGarlicCloves• ¼cupButter,organicandpreferablyfromgrass-fedcows,cutintosmallchunks

(Whenmakingthisonanon-holiday,Iuse½theamountofbutter.)• ¼tspfreshlygroundBlackPepper• Water-AgoodSpringwaterlikeMountainValley(inglassbottles)givesthebest

flavor.Ifspringwaterisnotavailable,thenfilteredwater.

Directions:

Ham:

1.MaketheMapleGlaze:Combinemustard,honey,oliveoil,blackpepper,maplesyrupandcoconutpalmsugar.Mixuntilwellblended.(Ifcoconutsugarisn’tavailable,youcanusebrownsugarinstead.)Refrigerateuntiluse(upto4days).

2.At6(ormore)hoursbeforeservingtime,scorethetopofthehamabout½inchdeepand1inchapartinbothdirections,soyouhaveapatternoftinysquares.

3.Placethehamintheslowcooker.Brush1cupofthemapleglazeoverthetopandsidesoftheham.Nudgetheglazeintothecutsmadebythescoring.Setasidetheremainderoftheglaze.

4.Turnontheslowcooker,onLowsetting,for4hours.At4hourscheckthetemperatureofthehamwithameatthermometer.Itshouldhaveaninternaltemperatureofatleast140F.Ifitdoesnot,continuecooking.

5.Whenthehamhasreachedaninternaltemperatureof140F,turntheslowcookerto“KeepWarm”andleavethehamintheslowcookeruntil40minutesbeforeservingtime.

40 minutesbeforeserving

1.Heatovento450F.

2.Transferhamfromslowcookertoaroastingdish/pan.Brushtheremainderofthemapleglazeoverthetopoftheham,againnudgingintothecutsmadebyscoring.

3.Placetheham,uncovered,inthefullyheated450Fovenfor15minutes.After10minutesIsuggestyoucheckiteveryminuteortwo…Youwanttheglazetobebeautifullydeeplycaramelizedandlusciouslybubbly;andthere’safinelinebetweendeeplycaramelizedandburned.

4.Removeyourhamfromtheoven.Allowittorest10minutesbeforeslicingandserving.Thenenjoywatchingyourguests,eventheoneswhosaytheydon’treallycareforham,watchthemeatthisup.Leftoversareindeedararitywiththisrecipe!

Carrots:

1.Scrubcarrotswell,trimoffatbothends,leavepeelon.Cuteachcarrotintoquarterslengthwise,thencutinhalfcross-wise.Ifanyofthecarrotsareextrabigoroddlyshaped,adjusthowyoucutthemsoallcarrotpiecesareroughlythesamesizesothey’llcookataboutthesamerate.

2.Placecarrotsinalargesaucepanalongwiththegarlic,butterandpepper.Pourinjustenoughwatertobarelycoverthecarrots.

3.Coverpanandcookovermediumheatuntilcarrotsaretender.

4.Removecoverandboiloverhighheatuntilwaterhasboileddowntoaglaze.(about5minutes.)Watchcloselyandstirsoitdoesn’tburn.