Easter Recipes

For my recipes this week I took on a pressure-filled challenge! ;-) Ok, so I decided to take on the Easter ham and dessert. In looking for recipes to try, I stumbled over my mom's Martha Stewart Living mmagazines. Normally I look at those recipes as one of three things: 1) disgusting, 2) incredibly challenging, or 3)full of ridiculous ingredients. Well this time it looks like Martha actually wanted people to actually be able to make the recipes! On the menu: Pineapple-Mustard Glazed Ham and Raspberry Custard Pie. We also had AMAZING mashed potatoes a la Kelly and Justin, a yummy salad from mom and dad, and some delicious peanut sauce and veggies from my cousin Andi.

My kitchen sorcery continues!

Pineapple-Mustard Glazed Ham

• 2 medium pineapples, peeled, halved lengthwise, cored, cut crosswise into 1/4" slices (I used pineapple out of a can - much easier to prepare and equally delicious)


• 3 cups sugar


• 2 cups water


• 1/4 cup country-style mustard


• 1 smoked, bone-in ham (10 pounds) trimmed of excess skin and all but 1/4" layer of fat


• 40 whole cloves


• 1 cup dry white wine


• mustard greens, for garnish (I ended up not using these...as I am not Martha Stewart)

1. Bring pineapples, sugar, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer, skimming foam. Cook until pineapples are translucent and mixture has reduced to 4 cups, 60 to 80 minutes. I didn't cover the pot and the pineapples never turned trasnlucent, still tasted awesome!


2. Preheat oven to 350 degreeswith rack in the lowest position. Score ham with a sharp knife in a pattern of 1 1/4" diamonds. Press a clove into the center of each diamond. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan; drizzle win over top. Coat ham with half the glaze. Cover with parchment, then foil, and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven. I didn't have parchment, this didn't seem to be a problem.


3. Increase over temperature to 425 degrees. Uncover ham, and coat with remaining glaze. Bake uncovered, basting occasionally, until browned, 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer ham to a cutting board; let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving. Serve with pan drippings and pineapple. Garnish with mustard greens if desired.

In general this turned out amazing! Sweet, tart, tangy, and perfectly moist! Other than being time consuming, it is worth the effort. And I promise it doesn't taste like mustard, that dissipates nicely!

Raspberry Custard Pie

First you have to make the crust, or the Pate Brisee...(aka crust!)

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose


• 1/4 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon sugar


• 4 ounces (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces


• 2 to 4 tablespoons ice water

1. Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream until mixture begins to hold together


2. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Rasperry Custard Filling

• Pate brisee


• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for the surface


• 3/4 cup sugar


• 1 large egg


• 1 cup heavy cream


• 1 pound (3 1/2 cups) raspberries, plus more for garnish


• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll pate brisee to 1/8" thickness on a lighly floured surface. Fit into a 9" pie dish, and trim edges, leaving a 1" overhang. Tuck so overhanging edges are flush with rim, crimp edges. Prick bottom of dough with a fork. Freeze for 15 minutes. Line dough with parchment, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges begin to turn gold, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Bake until crust is light gold and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Ok, I call bullshit on this! My crust came out overcooked, and at this point it still has to cook more for the filling! Maybe half the time would be better...And I didn't have a rolling pin or a flat surface upon which to roll out the dough...see pictures below. Can't knock me for being unimaginative!


2. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Whisk flour and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Add egg and cream, and whisk to combine. Toss raspberries, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt in a medium bowl. Spoon berries into crust, then pour in cream mixture, filling to just below the rim. I used less raspberries, a miscommunicational incident, it still came out well, but would have been better with more berries.


3. Bake until custard is set, but still a bit wobbly in the center, about 45 minutes. Let cool in dish on a wire rack. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or up to 1 day). Garnish with fresh raspberries, and serve cold. So as I was typing this I realized I never saw this part about refrigerating for 2 hours before serving, Oops! It was still yummy slightly warm, but it would be stiffer if served cold.

If you want to make these items to be served at the same meal, my suggestion is to cook the pie the night before! I have only one oven and ran short of time..>

P.S. If the ham is covered, you can put the pie in at the same time! ;-)