Baked Ham with Honey-Apricot Glaze
Honey & Citrus Marinated Asparagus
Dilly Stuffed Eggs
Coconut Pie
Easter, also called Pascha, is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33. As with many other Christian dates, the celebration of Easter extends beyond the church. Since its origin, Easter has been a time of celebration and feasting. While lamb has become a popular main course, a good old-fashioned Easter ham is hard to beat! My recipe for Baked Ham with Honey-Apricot Glaze takes a store-bought spiral-sliced ham and makes it an easy and elegant entree. Pair your ham with Honey and Citrus Marinated Asparagus garnished with slivered red onion and fresh orange segments. Dilly Stuffed Eggs are a must on Easter Sunday and Coconut Pie is the perfect dessert to end a perfect feast. Happy Easter!
Baked Ham
with Honey-Apricot Glaze
1 (10-14 pound) spiral-sliced, fully-cooked ham
1 cup honey
1 (6-ounce) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Combine remaining ingredients and set aside. Bake ham for 30 minutes; pour glaze over ham and continue to bake until ham is heated through (about 15-18 minutes per pound). Serves 15-20.
Honey and Citrus
Marinated Asparagus
2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 cup champagne vinegar
1 cup honey
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 navel orange, cut into segments
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
Blanch or steam asparagus until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Submerge the asparagus into ice water to stop the cooking process. When the asparagus is cool, drain off the water, pat dry with paper towels and set aside. Combine the orange zest and juice with vinegar, honey and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the asparagus, orange segments and red onion in a shallow dish. Pour marinade over to cover. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. To serve, place asparagus on a serving platter, top with red onion and orange segments and drizzle with the marinade. Serves 12.
Dilly Stuffed Eggs
12 hard-cooked eggs
1/2 cup salad dressing
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt
Pepper
Dash dill weed
Slice eggs in half lengthwise and carefully remove yolks. Mash yolks with salad dressing. Add mustard, salt, pepper, and dill weed. Stir well. Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites. Sprinkle with additional dill weed to garnish. Serves 6.
Coconut Pie
2 (9-inch) frozen pie crusts, thawed
4 eggs, beaten
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 cups whole milk
3/4 butter, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups flaked unsweetened coconut
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well blended. Divide the mixture evenly between the two pie crusts. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Chill before serving. Serves 12.
The writer owns Catering by Debbi Covington and is the author of the cookbook, Dining Under the Carolina Moon. Debbi may be reached at 525-0350 or by email at covingtoncats@embarqumail.comBaked Ham with Honey-Apricot Glaze
