Thank you Show-Me St. Louis and camera-coach Jim Viehman for a fun afternoon in Eckert’s Cooking Classroom! It was my pleasure to prepare two recipes for Show Me which will air on Friday, April 18^th.  A big thank you to Eckert’s culinary stage crew, Lana Shepek and our Dietetic Intern, Rachel,  from Southeast Missouri State for helping me set up my culinary “stage” for the filming.

In celebration of homegrown asparagus season which is just around the corner, I made Oven-Roasted Asparagus Bundles with lemon, butter and herbs. This recipe is fun way to experiment with a variety of fresh herbs. I tucked a different herb sprig into each asparagus pouch before baking. The fun part of this recipe is comparing and contrasting the ways different herbs contribute to the baked asparagus.

Have some flavorful fun at a dinner party by serving each bundle separately so that your guests can vote on their favorite flavor combination. For those of you cooking for Easter gatherings, here is a make ahead tip. Simply prepare your pouches a day or two in advance and pop them in the oven a few minutes before your meal.

Eat well this Spring! Angie

P.S. I will share the second Show-Me St. Louis recipe next week :) Stay tuned!!

Oven-Roasted Asparagus Bundles (in parchment)

42 stalks of asparagus
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
6 slices lemon
3 Tbs unsalted butter, divided
Kosher salt
6 herb springs (thyme, chives or parsley) optional
6 pieces of Parchment paper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim ends of asparagus. Divide stalks into 6 groups of 7 among the pieces of parchment paper. Place 1 lemon slice and 1 smashed garlic clove on top of each asparagus grouping. Top each grouping with herb sprig , ½ tablespoon butter and salt. Fold paper over the asparagus and seal to close. Fold down ends of paper and tuck under. Bake bundles 12-15 minutes; allow bundles to rest a few minutes before serving.

Easter Honey Glazed Ham

Since Easter is just around the corner, we decided to feature a local ham with a delicious brushed-on glaze in last night's cooking class last in our Belleville Country Store. 

While the ham was warming in the oven, we prepared the glaze and set it aside to cool. As it cools, the glaze thickens making it the perfect consistency to brush on the ham during the last stages of baking. Tangy Dijon mustard perfectly balances sweet fruit juices and honey, making this a delicious way to add a burst of flavor to Eckert's juicy, slightly-salty ham. 

 

Eckert's proudly sells  high-quality, local, bone-in half and whole hams. As we baked the ham, less than a teaspoon of juices escaped into the pan. This means the juices remained in the ham resulting in a juicy and tender finished product.

Keep this recipe at the top of your collection for holiday gatherings! We are sure your guests will love it as much as our classroom guests did - they were all asking for seconds!!

 

Eat well this Easter, Angie

 

 

10 to 12 lb. fully cooked, bone-in ham

⅓ cup Eckert's Pure Honey

1 cup brown sugar

⅓ cup pineapple juice

⅓ cup orange juice

2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

¼ tsp. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place ham in roasting pan. Bake uncovered 2 hours. In a small saucepan, combine honey, brown sugar, pineapple and orange juice, mustard and cloves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside. After baking the ham brush ham with glaze and bake an additional 30 to 45 minutes, brushing on glaze every 10 minutes. Makes 15 servings.