Holiday Ham Box

Remove the honey from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 450°F. In a bowl, combine the mustard, vinegar, sugar, honey (kneading the packet before opening), and spice blend.

Line a sheet pan with foil. Pat the ham dry with paper towels; place on the sheet pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until browned. Leaving the oven on, carefully remove from the oven. Evenly top with the glaze. Return to the oven and bake 7 to 10 minutes, or until the glaze is thickened and the ham is heated through.* Carefully transfer the ham to a cutting board. Thinly slice crosswise. Serve the sliced ham with any remaining glaze from the sheet pan. 

*The USDA recommends a minimum safe cooking temperature of 145°F for pork.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way up with salted water; cover and heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, 13 to 15 minutes, or until al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Reserving 1 1/2 cups of the pasta cooking water, drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile, wash and dry the fresh produce. Thinly slice the mushrooms. Pick the thyme leaves off the stems. Grate the cheddar and gouda on the large side of a box grater; combine in a bowl with the fontina. Thinly slice the chives.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned and tender. Turn off the heat.

In the same pot used to cook the pasta, heat the plain butter on medium until melted. Add the thyme leaves. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the flour and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes, or until toasted and golden. Add the cream (carefully, as the liquid may splatter) and reserved pasta cooking water. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened. (If the sauce seems too thick, gradually add up to ¼ cup of water to achieve your desired consistency.) Add the prepared cheeses. Stir until combined and the cheese is melted. Turn off the heat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.

To the pot of cheese sauce, add the cooked mushrooms, cooked pasta, spinach, and caramelized onions. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to a large baking dish and cover with foil. (If desired, refrigerate overnight, then bring to room temperature before baking.) Bake, covered, 15 to 17 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, wipe out the pan used to cook the mushrooms. In the same pan, heat the truffle butter on medium-high until melted. Add half the breadcrumbs (you will have extra); season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn off the heat and stir in the truffle seasoning until combined. Serve the baked pasta topped with the truffle breadcrumbs and sliced chives.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the stems of the brussels sprouts; halve lengthwise. Roughly chop the walnuts. Pick the sage leaves off the stems. Halve the lemon crosswise; remove the seeds.

Line a sheet pan with foil. Transfer the halved brussels sprouts to the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toast to coat and arrange in an even layer, spreading them out as much as possible. Roast 15 to 17 minutes, or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat the butter on medium-high until melted. Add the chopped walnuts and sage leaves; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sage is dark green and the walnuts are toasted. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sage and walnuts to a paper towel-lined plate. Transfer the infused butter to a large bowl. Add the mustard, maple syrup, the juice of both lemon halves, and as much of the chile paste as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Whisk to combine.

Transfer the roasted brussels sprouts to the bowl of vinaigrette. Toss to coat; taste, then season with salt and pepper. Serve the dressed brussels sprouts garnished with the toasted walnuts and crispy sage.

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Line a sheet pan with foil. Microwave the squash on high for 15 seconds (this makes it a little easier to cut). Cut off and discard the ends of the squash; place upright on one of the flat ends and halve lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out and discard the pulp and seeds. Cut each half crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to the sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and half the spice blend. Toss to coat and arrange in an even layer. Roast 22 to 24 minutes, or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the peppers. Thinly slice the scallions. In a bowl, combine the chopped peppers, sliced scallions, vinegar, and a drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.  In a separate bowl, combine the crème fraîche, labneh, and a drizzle of olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the pepitas, almonds, and remaining spice blend in an even layer. Cook, without stirring, 1 to 2 minutes, or until lightly browned (be careful, as the pepitas may pop as they toast). Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until toasted. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and immediately season with salt.

Spread the labneh-crème fraîche onto the bottom of a serving plate. Top with the roasted squash. Serve the finished squash topped with the pepper- scallion mixture and toasted pepitas and almonds.

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Roughly chop the lettuce. Peel the oranges; halve lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Thinly slice the cucumbers into rounds. Roughly chop the pistachios. Pick the mint leaves off the stems. In a bowl, whisk together the labneh, vinegar, date syrup, and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl, combine the arugula, chopped lettuce, sliced oranges, sliced cucumbers, and dressing. Toss to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the salad topped with the chopped pistachios, mint leaves (tearing just before adding), and Grana Padano (crumbling before adding).

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 375°F. Place the pie crust on a sheet pan, leaving it in its tin. Using a fork, lightly prick (or dock) the bottom of the pie crust all over to allow steam to escape while baking. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a cooling rack and let stand about 30 minutes, or until room temperature.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the peanuts. Line a plate with parchment paper (or lightly grease). In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), combine the chopped peanuts, caramel shards, and 2 tablespoons of the cream. Cook on medium-high, stirring constantly, 6 to 9 minutes, or until the caramel is melted and the peanuts are thoroughly coated. Transfer to the prepared plate (immediately sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired) and let cool completely.

When ready to serve, place the remaining cream in a medium bowl (or the bowl of stand mixer). Whisk constantly, 2 to 3 minutes (if using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat on high 2 minutes), or until stiff peaks form. Working directly from the bag, pipe the mousse into the cooled pie crust and spread into an even layer. Serve the finished pie topped with the whipped cream. Garnish with the candied peanuts. Enjoy!