Good morning. We’re in the chute now, hurtling toward the end of the year. It’s all checklists and traditions for me: the tourtière I’ll heat through on Christmas Eve; the ham I ordered for the day itself; the boozy eggnog for grown-ups; the cookies for the little ones.
Will I greet 2024 with a prime rib roast? That’s worked these last few years, so I believe I will. I’ve got my plans and you’ve got yours.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the ham, though. Generally, I glaze it with a mixture of mustard and brown sugar, cut through with sherry. This year, though, I’m thinking I’ll follow Yotam Ottolenghi’s lead (above), and steam some seeded halved clementines alongside the meat, then use that as the sweetening agent for the glaze. Yotam deploys some mayonnaise on the meat at the end for an extra bit of glossy excellence on the skin. It is maybe the most American technique I’ve ever seen him use — I can’t wait to try it.
Featured Recipe
Glazed Christmas Ham
That’s all in the future, though, all still in my imagination. This weekend, I’d like salmon roasted in butter, alongside some sautéed broccoli rabe. You don’t need to blanch the greens: Just toss them with a little olive oil and get them in a pan with a healthy splash of water or stock. Cover and steam until tender. So good.
