LatinoFoodie Art Rodriguez presenting his Guava and Habanero Glazed Ham
The holidays are upon us – don’t panic! LatinoFoodie is here to help you put a Latin twist to some of your favorite, traditional dishes. Thanks to the good people at Farmer John, we received a beautiful ham this week. Farmer John has been a Southern California staple since 1931 and their meats are featured in some of the area’s best cuisine. Who can pass up a Dodger Dog while sipping on a cold beer at a ballgame? Or, the smell of perfectly seasoned carnitas cooking at a local East LA Mexican restaurant?
Nothing is better than the smell of ham baking in your own kitchen though. Let’s face it, you can’t go wrong with good ol’ brown sugar and butter, but we wanted to be more creative this Thanksgiving. We searched for a sweet fruit that is native to Mexico and South America and would pair nicely with some heat from a Habanero pepper. From mangoes to tamarindo, the winner was the guava, a tropical fruit with yellow skin and pink pulp.
Glazing precooked hams is perfect for the holidays because they can be on the table in no time at all. We used store-bought guava marmalade as another time-saving step, but homemade marmalade can be a fun weekend project and make great gifts. Be careful handling the Habanero as this is one of the most blazing peppers out there. We used two Habanero peppers for this recipe, but we recommend starting off with one or even half of one and add to taste.
Ingredients:
1 Farmer John Spiral Sliced Premium Ham, thawed
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1 17 oz can of guava marmalade
1-3 Habanero peppers, minced
2 cinnamon sticks
½ cup of unsalted butter, cubed
¼ tsp. kosher salt
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a sauce pot place the brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, guava marmalade, Habanero peppers, butter and salt. Stir to incorporate and bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce to low. Keep on the heat for about 15 minutes, just long enough to marry the flavors. Take off the heat, remove the cinnamon sticks and let cool slightly. Place your fully cooked ham in a roasting pan.
Ta Da! The final product. A deliciously moist ham with the right amount of sweetness and hint of spice.
GIVEAWAY
Farmer John has provided LatinoFoodie with five $25 gift certificates for hams and other Farmer John meat products you can use during this holiday season. Please note that Farmer John products are sold in California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii. Here’s how to enter to win:
1. Like LatinoFoodie on Facebook and Twitter by noon PST, Wednesday, December 1, 2011.
2. Post a comment on our Facebook page letting us know you did so and want to enter the Farmer John Giveaway
Disclosure: LatinoFoodie was compensated to develop the recipe and write this post, but the words and opinions are our own.
I love all the ideas you come up with!
Your ham looks yummy!!!….I want one!
That ham sounds good – you should have brought some along yesterday to add to the Thanksgiving table! Enter me in the certificate raffle so we can try the recipe.
Thanks for the recipe..:)