Iron Chef Wine: Ham with Champagne and Vanilla Glaze

Usually, I leave the big ticket dinner items for my mom to make. Ham, turkey, Pot Roast, etc. But, for this particular Iron Chef, I wanted to show my grit and make a big ticket item. Perhaps this would get me the big win for once. So, I ventured into unknown territory and made a Ham for the first time. It didn't get me the win. But, never fear it is still a good dish. I'm even eating the left over ham for my lunch this week.

I did have problems figuring out what type of ham to buy (even though the recipe distinctly states a bone-in smoked ham). But, hey that's what Mom's are for. She suggested I try Walmart or Food Lion. And, I found my Ham at Walmart for a very reasonable price. Don't go to Kroger for your ham, though. They are very pricey. And, I had planned on starting the ham about 3 hours before the party began. My mom suggested I start right away. So, I started cooking the ham about 4 hours before the party, which proved to be the perfect time. I was able to get the ham ready and myself ready with plenty of time to spare. I followed this recipe to the "T." Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 (11-pound) 33%-less-sodium smoked, fully cooked bone-in ham
24 whole cloves
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups Champagne or sparkling wine, divided
1 (2-inch) piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cup apple jelly


Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

First you trim whatever fat is on the ham. Next, I took each clove and individually placed it into the ham in a diamond shape. Place ham, bone end up, in a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Next, I pour 1 cup Champagne over ham and baked for about 45 minutes at 350°.

I've always wanted to scrape seeds from a vanilla bean and that's exactly what I got to do next. Scrape the seeds into a small saucepan, and then you add 1/2 cup champagne to the pan and toss the vanilla bean into the pan as well and bring to a boil. Cook for about 2 minutes. Next, I stirred in the apple jelly and cooked for an additional 3 minutes or until the jelly dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Be sure to take out the vanilla bean.

Take out the ham after about 45 minutes and pour half of Champagne mixture over ham. Bake for an additional 30 minutes; pour remaining Champagne mixture over ham. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until ham is thoroughly heated. Then place ham on a platter; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 15 minutes.

I don't really recommend the next step. I thought it ended up making the ham too salty, but feel free to try it. I took out a zip-lock bag and placed in a 2 cup glass measure cup or bowl and pour drippings from the roasting pan into the bag. Let stand for 10 minutes. The fat from the roasting pan will rise to the top. Snip off one corner of the bag and drain the drippings into a bowl; stopping before the fat layer seeks out. Throw out the bag. Serve sauce with ham.

I found this recipe here.

(Click here for printable recipe)