Chef John's Mini Christmas Hams

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• brine:
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 cups water
• 1 quart water, or as needed
• 4 (1 1/2 inches thick) boneless center-cut lamb loin chops
• glaze:
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 12 whole cloves

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Ready Time: 50 mins


• combine 1 1/2 cups boiling water, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, cloves, and bay leaf together in a large container; stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
• place celery, onion, and garlic in a blender. add 2 cups cold water and puree until smooth. pour celery mixture into kosher salt mixture and stir to combine. add 1 quart of water, or more as needed, to make a total of 2 quarts of brine. place lamb chops in brine, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days.
• combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl and set glaze aside.
• preheat oven to 325 degrees f (165 degrees c).
• remove lamb chops from brine and pat dry; discard used brine. cut shallow slits along the sides of each lamb chop, about 1/4 inch deep. cut a crisscross pattern in the top of each lamb chop, creating small 1-inch triangles.
• heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over high heat. cook chops in the hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. brush the crisscrossed top of each lamb chop with about 1 tablespoon of glaze. insert 3 whole cloves in the top of each lamb chop.
• transfer skillet to the preheated oven and roast lamb chops until golden brown and slightly pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes. an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees f (63 degrees c). remove lamb chops to a plate and discard cloves.
• using a small butane hand torch, brown the tops of the lamb chops by making short passes over the tops with the flame not quite touching.

Potato Latkes From Simply Potatoes®

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 (20 ounce) package simply potatoes® shredded hash browns
• 1/2 cup better'n eggs®
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour*
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Ready Time: 25 mins


• in large bowl stir together simply potatoes, better'n eggs, flour, green onion, pepper, salt, and baking powder.
• heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• cook 4 latkes at a time: spread 1/4 cup potato mixture for each latke into 3 1/2-inch circles in skillet.
• cook 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. repeat with remaining potato mixture and add oil to skillet as needed. season with salt and pepper if desired.

french pear pie

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• 6 large pears, peeled and sliced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked single pie crust
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Recipe

Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 45 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 30 mins


• preheat oven to 450 degrees f (230 degrees c).
• sprinkle pears with lemon juice in a bowl. mix sugar and nutmeg in a separate small bowl; sprinkle over pears and mix thoroughly.
• fit pie crust into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. cut butter, brown sugar, and flour together in a bowl using a pastry cutter until mixture resembles crumbs. spoon pear mixture into pie shell and sprinkle top with brown sugar mixture.
• bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c) and bake until filling is bubbling and crumble topping is lightly browned, about 35 more minutes.

raspberry-sour cream crumb cake

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• topping:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• cake:
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 room-temperature eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins Ready Time: 1 hr


• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c). grease and flour a 10-inch springform pan.
• stir 1 cup flour, 2/3 cup sugar, and lemon zest together in a bowl; add melted butter and stir with a fork until the mixture turns crumbly. set aside.
• mix 1 3/4 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
• whisk together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla in another bowl until they are well blended. add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in the large bowl and beat until you get a smooth and fluffy batter, about 2 minutes. pour into the prepared pan; cover with an even layer of raspberries. sprinkle the topping over the raspberries.
• bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 38 to 42 minutes. cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing sides. dust with confectioners' sugar to serve.

paleo tropical ice cream

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 cups frozen banana slices
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 pinch kosher salt

Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 mins Ready Time: 50 mins


• thaw banana slices and pineapple chunks at room temperature for 5 minutes.
• blend bananas, pineapple, and coconut milk in a food processor until smooth, about 1 minute; add lime juice and kosher salt and process again to mix.
• line an 8x11-inch baking dish with plastic wrap. pour banana mixture into the baking dish. freeze until the 'ice cream' is of soft-serve consistency, 30 to 45 minutes.

garlicky ham, mushroom, and spinach frittata

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 8 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
• 4 cups bagged fresh spinach
• 3/4 cup diced cooked ham
• 9 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• salt and ground black pepper to taste (optional)

Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 50 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 15 mins


• preheat oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c).
• heat butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic and shallot in hot butter until shallot is softened, about 5 minutes. stir mushrooms into shallot and garlic; cook and stir until mushrooms begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. stir spinach into mushroom mixture, cover, and cook until spinach is wilted, about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
• stir in ham, cook until ham begins to brown, about 5 minutes. pour eggs evenly into skillet and cover.
• bake in the preheated oven until the frittata is set in the middle and lightly puffed, about 25 minutes. a knife inserted into the center of the frittata should come out clean. sprinkle with cheddar cheese, let stand until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes. season with salt and black pepper.

Creamed Peas

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup green peas
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup milk, or as needed

Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 10 mins Ready Time: 15 mins


• bring water, peas, and salt to a boil in a saucepan; cook until peas are just tender, about 2 minutes. drain and return peas to saucepan. reduce heat to medium and stir in flour. add butter and enough milk to barely cover peas. cook and stir until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.