CookEat Recipe
Ham, Bourguignonne
Country-cured ham braised with claret, broth, vegetables and whole spices, finished with a strained demi-glace and tomato gravy.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Heat a conventional oven to 325°F. Use one three-pound piece of uncooked Virginia country ham, weighed before trimming, choosing a product that does not require a separate long presoak. Trim the same piece neatly.
Step 2
Put the ham in a saucepan and cover it with cold water. Bring to a boil, take the pan off the heat and leave the ham in that hot water for one hour. Continue directly with the braise; do not store the partly cooked ham. Lift it out and discard this initial water.
Step 3
Place the ham in a covered hob- and oven-safe braising pan with one sliced carrot, one sliced onion, one leek, one peeled crushed garlic clove, two parsley branches, one chervil branch, one sprig thyme, one sprig marjoram, one bay leaf, two cloves and one teaspoon whole allspice berries. Add half a pint claret and one pint finished unsalted White Broth prepared with veal bones and aromatics only. Season with half a teaspoon salt and half a teaspoon ground white pepper. Cover and let boil for twenty-five minutes.
Step 4
Transfer the covered pan to the 325°F oven and cook for about two hours, continuing as needed until the ham is tender and reaches at least 160°F at its thickest point without touching bone. Watch that the braising liquid does not catch; the clock alone does not determine readiness.
Step 5
Lift the whole cooked ham onto a hot serving dish and keep it hot while finishing the gravy.
Step 6
Measure one and a half gills of finished demi-glace, then loosen this measured portion with a little hot finished unsalted White Broth prepared with veal bones and aromatics only. If the demi-glace was refrigerated or thawed, bring the diluted portion to a full rolling boil while stirring and verify 165°F before use.
Step 7
Add that diluted measured demi-glace and half a gill finished tomato sauce to the actual braising gravy. Boil briskly for twenty minutes.
Step 8
Strain the gravy through a fine conical strainer, removing the vegetables, herbs and whole spices. Pour the strained sauce over the whole ham and serve promptly.
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