646. BRAIZED HAM, WITH SPINACH, ETC.

The modern cook · Charles Elmé Francatelli · 1846
Source
The modern cook
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (10)
Instructions (16)
  1. After the ham has been trimmed and the thigh-bone removed, soak it in a large pan filled with cold water. The soaking time depends on the ham's moisture and whether it is new or seasoned. New hams (which yield readily to hand pressure, common in London in spring) need a few hours. Properly seasoned hams should be soaked for twenty-four hours. Foreign hams require longer, from two to four days and nights.
  2. Change the soaking water once every twelve hours in winter, and twice in that time in summer.
  3. Scrape off the slime surface from the hams before returning them to the water to finish soaking.
  4. When the ham has been trimmed and soaked, boil it in water for an hour.
  5. Scrape and wash the ham in cold water.
  6. Place the ham in a braizing-pan with two carrots, two onions, a head of celery, a garnished faggot, two blades of mace, and four cloves.
  7. Moisten with sufficient common broth to float the ham.
  8. Set the pan on the stove to braize very gently for about four hours. Do not allow it to boil, but merely to simmer gently by a slow fire, to ensure tenderness and mellowness. This rule applies to all salted or cured meats.
  9. When the ham is done, draw the pan away from the fire and set it to cool in the open air, leaving the ham in the braize to retain its moisture.
  10. After partially cooling in the braize, remove the ham, trim it, and place it in a braizing-pan with some of its own stock.
  11. About three-quarters of an hour before serving, put the ham back on the stove or in the oven to warm through.
  12. Place the ham on a baking-dish in the oven to dry the surface, then glaze it.
  13. Return the ham to the oven for about three minutes to fry it.
  14. Place the ham on a dish and garnish it with well-dressed spinach, shaped like eggs, placed around the ham.
  15. Pour some bright Espagnole sauce around the base.
  16. Put a ruffle on the bone and serve.
Original Text
646. BRAIZED HAM, WITH SPINACH, ETC. When about to dress a ham, care must be taken after it has been trimmed, and the thigh-bone removed, that it be put to soak in a large pan filled with cold water; the length of time it should remain in soak, depending partly upon its degree of moisture, partly whether the ham be new or seasoned. If the ham readily yields to the pressure of the hand, it is no doubt new, and this is the case with most of those sold in London in the spring season; for such as these, a few hours' soaking will suffice; but when hams are properly seasoned, they should be soaked for twenty-four hours. Foreign hams, however, require to be soaked much longer, varying in time from two to four days and nights. The water in which they are soaked should be changed once every twelve hours in winter, and twice during that time in summer: it is necessary to be particular also in scraping off the slime surface from the hams, previously to replacing them in the water to finish soaking. When the ham has been trimmed and soaked, let it be boiled in water for an hour, and then scraped and washed in cold water; place it in a braizing-pan with two carrots, as many onions, a head of celery, garnished faggot, two blades of mace, and four cloves; moisten with sufficient common broth to float the ham and then set it on the stove to braize very gently for about four hours. To obtain tenderness and mellowness, so essential in a well-dressed ham, it must never be allowed to boil, but merely to simmer very gently by a slow fire. This rule applies also to the braizing of all salted or cured meats. When the ham is done, draw the pan in which it has braized away from the fire, and set it to cool in the open air, allowing the ham to remain in the braize; by this means it will retain all its moisture—for when the ham is taken out of the braize as soon as done, and put on a dish to get cold, all its richness exudes from it. The ham having partially cooled in the braize, should be taken out and trimmed, and afterwards placed in a braizing-pan with some of its own 'stock,' and about three-quarters of an hour before dinner, put either in the oven or on a slow fire. When warmed through, place the ham on a baking-dish in the oven to dry the surface, then glaze it; replace it in the oven again for about three minutes to fry it; and placed again by that time the ham, if properly attended to, will present a bright appearance. Put it on to a dish, and garnish it with well-dressed spinach (No. 1155), placed round the ham in table-spoonfuls, shaped like so many eggs; pour some bright Espagnole sauce round the base, put a ruffle on the bone, and serve.
Notes
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