Jambon à la Prague sous la Cendre

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 to 8-quart (5.7 to 7.6 L) stockpot
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Rolling pin
• •Rimmed baking tray with parchment
• •Pastry brush
• •Broiler-safe tray
• •Wide-needle meat flavour injector
• •Small heavy saucepan and whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pâte

   Mix the flour and salt, then rub in the cold butter until no piece is larger than a lentil. Add one egg and ¾ cup of the ice water, mixing until the paste gathers into a firm, pliable mass; add the remaining water a teaspoon at a time only if dry flour remains. Knead for one minute, just until smooth, then wrap and rest for 30 minutes. The pâte à pâté must bend without cracking because strength, not flakiness, is its work here. If it crumbles when folded, knead in a teaspoon of water; if it clings to your hands, dust it sparingly with flour.

2. 2

   Poach the ham

   Set the ham in a pot, cover it with the cold water, and bring the water slowly to a quiet poach. Hold it at 180 to 185°F (82 to 85°C), with the surface barely quivering, for 40 to 50 minutes, until the centre reaches 115 to 120°F (46 to 49°C). Lift the ham onto a tray. While it is still warm, remove the rind and trim away any hard, smoke-blackened exterior, leaving a thin covering of fat where present. Pat every surface thoroughly dry and let the joint cool for 20 minutes. A wet, hot ham softens the paste before the oven can set it.

3. 3

   Reduce the glaze

   Combine the stock and the ¼ cup of Port in a small saucepan. Bring them to a boil, then reduce at a steady simmer to about ¾ cup (180 ml), roughly 20 minutes. The reduction should coat a spoon lightly but still run from it freely; this is a light glaze, not syrup. If it becomes sticky, loosen it with a spoonful of water. Set the reduction aside without adding the butter yet.

4. 4

   Glaze under heat

   Heat the broiler and place the dry ham with its rounded or fat side uppermost on a broiler-safe tray. Sift the powdered sugar evenly over that surface and set it 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) below the heat. Watch without leaving the oven: in 1 to 3 minutes the sugar should melt into a thin amber glaze. If one patch burns black, scrape it away while warm, dry the spot, dust it again, and return the ham farther from the heat. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Seal the crust

   Set the oven to 400°F (200°C). Roll the rested paste on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle about 20 by 24 inches (50 by 60 cm) and ¼ inch (5 mm) thick. Place the ham in the centre with the glazed side undermost. Draw the paste over it, trim excessive bulk while leaving a 2-inch (5 cm) overlap, moisten the meeting edges, and pinch them into a complete seal. Turn the parcel seam-side down onto a parchment-lined tray. Patch every crack with a moistened scrap, reserving a walnut-sized piece to shape into a small plug. Brush the parcel and plug with the remaining beaten egg to gild them, streak the surface with shallow diagonal lines, and cut a ½-inch (1 cm) vent directly over the thickest part of the ham.

6. 6

   Bake until burnished

   Bake the parcel until the paste is dry, firm, and deeply golden, 50 to 65 minutes. The ham should reach 140 to 145°F (60 to 63°C) at its centre. Remove the little paste plug once it is browned, usually after 15 minutes, and reserve it. If the crust colours before the ham is ready, cover it loosely with foil. If the seam begins leaking during the first part of baking, press a thin scrap of paste over the opening with the back of a spoon, brush it with egg, and continue baking.

7. 7

   Butter the glaze

   During the final 10 minutes of baking, reheat the Port reduction to a gentle simmer. Reduce it briefly if it no longer coats a spoon, then take the pan off the heat and whisk in the cold butter a cube at a time. The glaze should shine and fall in a light ribbon. Do not boil it once the butter is incorporated. If it turns greasy, whisk a teaspoon of cold water in a clean warm pan, then work the broken glaze into it gradually until smooth.

8. 8

   Inject and serve

   Move the baked ham to its serving platter. Draw the room-temperature ½ cup of Port into a flavour injector, pass the needle through the prepared central vent, and inject the wine slowly in four to six directions through the meat. Pause between each press so the ham can take it; if Port backs up, wait and choose another angle. Stop the vent with the baked paste plug. Serve immediately, opening the crust and carving generous slices at the table, with the light Port glaze alongside and the separately prepared Soufflé au Parmesan (No. 2295a) brought out at the same moment. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Buy a fully cooked, unsliced smoked ham. A spiral-cut joint cannot hold the injected Port, and a sweet commercial glaze fights the powdered-sugar gilding already built into the dish.
• •Pâte à pâté is a structural paste, not puff pastry. It must carry the ham, contain its juices, and survive turning seam-side down; keep it firm, roll it evenly, and patch it without embarrassment.
• •Use unsalted stock because reduction magnifies salt, especially beside cured ham. If only regular stock is available, dilute it with an equal volume of water before reducing and judge the final glaze by taste.
• •Ruby Port gives the clearest fruit and colour. The source also permits Sherry, but choose one fortified wine and keep it consistent in both the injection and the glaze.
• •A dry sparkling wine or a brisk, lightly chilled red suits the smoky ham and buttered glaze. The Port has already done its work inside the dish.

Advance Preparation

• •The pâte à pâté can be mixed a day ahead and kept chilled. Let it stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling so it bends without splitting.
• •The stock and Port can be reduced a day ahead and chilled. Reheat the reduction and whisk in the cold butter only as the ham finishes baking.
• •The ham can be poached, trimmed, dried, and chilled earlier the same day. Let it lose the refrigerator chill before glazing, then confirm the final internal temperature during baking.
• •Once the ham is enclosed in paste, bake it without delay. Salt and residual moisture gradually soften the unbaked shell.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 730g)