It could be that we just haven’t had a good baked ham in a while, but this ham was really delicious, and worth considering for the upcoming holiday festivities.  I found the recipe in my cookbook Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller.  It’s a book I had to have the moment it came out, and I think I’ve only actually cooked from it twice.  I’ve discovered that in a lot of ways, the flavor profiles that Robin goes for are not flavor profiles that make my family happy.  So unfortunately, this book doesn’t come out too often.  It came out this week though, and I’m very glad it did because this recipe for Citrus Glazed Ham with Roasted Mandarin Oranges was a hit all around.

This recipe starts with a ham.  It calls for a 4-pound fully cooked boneless ham- I opted to go for a nearly 8-pound shankless ham.  It still had a few bones, but nothing crazy, and I prefer bone-in ham to those boneless ham products out there.   The marinade for the ham was easy enough, it called for orange marmalade, dry mustard, and cider vinegar.

I want to say something about the orange marmalade.  When I was growing up, for some reason I was under the impression that orange marmalade was not a thing to be enjoyed.  I always assumed it was not a tasty confection and should be avoided at all costs.  Obviously, I was wrong.  Because I could seriously eat orange marmalade with a spoon.  I love it, and this winter I’m hoping to learn to make it when the oranges are abundant and overflowing.   For this recipe I simply picked up a jar of a well-known brand of Sweet Orange Marmalade.   I wish I’d read the ingredients before doing so, because I was dismayed to find that on my jar of marmalade the number one ingredient was high fructose corn syrup, and the number two was corn syrup.  Huh?  I’ve never used corn syrup in any jam, jelly or marmalade making.   Had I known, I would have put the popular brand back and sought out a better marmalade.  As it was, this was the marmalade I had, so I used it, and I tell you all this just so that you can be better informed and can do some label reading yourself.

Anyway.  The marmalade, dry mustard powder and vinegar are mixed together and then smeared over the ham.  After that has been done, a can of mandarin oranges in light syrup is poured over the top.  No fuss, no muss, and then the whole thing went in the oven for 14 minutes a pound.  In my case, we were on our way out for dance class, so the ham baked during the hour-and-a-half we were gone, and when we came home, voila! It was done.  The recipe did call for basting every 15 minutes.  Given my experience with just letting it go, it certainly didn’t need the basting.

The marmalade makes a spectacular glaze for the ham.  The roasted mandarin oranges are a little odd to eat.  They taste nice with a bite of ham, but to eat one or two by themselves… we weren’t such big fans.   Overall though, we all really enjoyed this ham, and probably ate a little more than we should have.  Other than checking my brand of marmalade next time, I wouldn’t change a thing.   If you, like me, decide to go with a larger size ham, don’t worry about adjusting the rest of the ingredients.  There was more than enough glaze, and I had a lot of liquid in the bottom of my pan when all was said and done.  I would actually consider cutting the glaze in half if I was following the directions and making a small ham.

Citrus-Glazed Ham with Roasted Mandarin Oranges

from  Quick Fix Meals by Robin Miller

one 4-pound fully cooked boneless ham
1 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
One 11-ounce can mandarin oranges in light syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

If the ham has skin, peel it away using a sharp knife, leaving a thin layer of fat on the surface.  Score the fat if there is any with the knife by cutting diagonal lines from one side to the other.  Transfer the ham to a roasting pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the marmalade, vinegar and dry mustard.  Brush the mixture all over the ham.  Pour mandarin oranges and syrup from the can all over the ham, allowing the oranges to fall to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 1 hour (or 14 minutes per pound), basting every 15 minutes with pan juices.

Remove the ham from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.  Serve slices topped with mandarin oranges.

3 thoughts on “This May Just Be Your Upcoming Holiday Ham

  1. I have to say I’ve never met an orange marmalade that I liked. So you never had it growing up. I’m thinking the culprit is the orange peel that’s in it – I don’t like the bitterness that it imparts. That being said, if you do make some this winter, I’d be game to give it a try!

  2. Oh yes, I think it would work great on salmon too. I think I would use less of it, just a nice smear of it on a fillet and then pop it in the oven until desired doneness. Yup, it would work.

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