More Fine Whine

A couple more thoughts about wine from this weekend. My in-laws are in town from Minnesota to attend the Lad's Baby Dedication (We attend a church that does not practie infant baptism), so we took them to King Estate Winery. Remember, the one whose Chardonnay and Cab I criticized so harshly? Well, they've stopped selling their 2000 vintage and we had a taste of the 2001. Apparently, it goes well with crow. It was smooth, complex, and buttery. Nice stuff, and only $10 a bottle.

That night, the In-Laws volunteered to babysit The Lad, so TFR and I had a chance to get out for the evening. We went and saw the movie Sideways. I found it at turns depressing and hilarious, and in the end it had me once again reflecting on my own willingness to quit all too easily. All in all, it was a good movie.

Sunday, after the dedication, we had a big family dinner (Me, TFR, the Inlaw's, TFR's sister and her husband, The Lad, and our two nephews). We had a big shank ham, and I came up with a pretty good glaze for it:

1 Bone-in Shank ham
1 can (12 oz.) Orange Juice Concentrate, thawed
1 can pineapple rings (OK, so I used a fresher pineapple from the produce department, one of the ones that's already been cored, but the cut core is still in the middle)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup tequila
1/4 cup Triple Sec
1/2 tsp ginger powder
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp hot mustard
Whole cloves
2 larege sprigs rosemary

set aside about 1/2 of the pineapple rings. Combine the rest of the pineapple, including the juice, with the OJ concentrate in a blender or food processor. Puree. Pour the liquid into a saucepan. Combine with the brown sugar, tequila, triple sec, ginger, bay leaves, and mustard. Bring to a boil over medium heat. reduce heat, simmering until liquid is reduced by 1/3. Remove from heat, cool, and refrigerate overnight.

Score the ham on one side in a crisscross pattern, inserting a clove at each scoring intersection. Place the ham face down in about 1/8 inch water in a baking pan, cover with foil, bake at 325 for 20 minutes per pound. About 30 minutes before the end of the baking time, uncover the hame and lay it on its side, scored side up. place the pineapple rings, rosemary sprigs, and bay leaves (recovered from the glaze) on top, apply glaze. Re-apply glaze every 5-10 minutes until the end of the baking cycle. Remove from oven and let stand for 10-15 minutes.