low-cal feeds a crowd quick

baked ham with sautéed pears and apples

►make ahead up to 24 hours

Prep: 25 minutes Cook: 25 minutes Chill: up to 24 hours Roast: 1 hour 30 minutes at 325°F Makes: 16 servings

  • 3 cups water
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon red curry paste
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 4 medium ripe pears, cored and sliced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 4 medium red cooking apples, such as Rome, Jonathan, or Braeburn, cored and sliced
  • 1 5- to 6-pound cooked ham (rump half)
  • Snipped fresh thyme

1. For glaze, in a large saucepan stir together the water, sugar, honey, and curry paste. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly to dissolve sugar. Boil gently, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool.

2. Meanwhile, for fruit, in a large skillet melt butter over medium-high heat. Add pears and ginger. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until pears begin to brown, gently stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Add apples to skillet; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until apples begin to brown, gently stirring occasionally. Combine apples with pears. Cool. (To serve today, continue as directed in Steps 4 and 5.)

3. To serve later, place glaze and fruit in separate airtight containers. Chill up to 24 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large saucepan reheat glaze just until bubbly. Remove ½ cup of the glaze; set remaining glaze aside. Place ham on the rack of a roasting pan. Insert an oven-going meat thermometer into center of ham. Bake for 1½ to 2¼ hours or until thermometer registers 140°F. Brush ham with reserved ½ cup glaze during the last 20 minutes of baking.

5. Just before serving, in a large skillet stir fruit over medium heat just until heated through. To serve, arrange fruit on serving platter. Slice ham and arrange on platter with fruit. Drizzle ham and fruit with the remaining glaze. If desired, garnish with thyme sprigs.

Per serving: 343 cal., 14 g fat (5 g sat. fat), 82 mg chol., 930 mg sodium, 29 g carb., 2 g fiber, 28 g pro.

Tip

Cooking apples keep their shape when exposed to heat better than the apples intended for applesauce or eating out of hand. Although one of the best cooking varieties is Granny Smith, you‘ll want red-skinned apples for this recipe.