Easter Brunch

DeadHeadHorn

500+ Posts
I'm planning out my Easter Sunday brunch and here's what I'm thinking:

- Eggs Benedict with chipotle Hollandaise on top of honey-baked ham
- Roasted asparagus
- Shrimp & jalapeno grits
- Potatoes au gratin
- Maple biscuits
- Fruit salad
- Mimosas
- Bloody Mary bar

All prepared in time to watch the Manchester - Liverpool game live at 6:30 am PT.

Anyone ever make a honey-baked ham themselves? (I'll be buying the actual ham, but honey-baking it in the oven). I'd love to hear some ideas about how exactly to do it - I've read recipes but they vary wildly.
 
I tried a homemade honey baked ham several years ago. After much research and study, impeccable care and effort, it turned out very mediocre. It wasn't bad, but didn't hold a candle to the real ones. I haven't bothered since.

This comes from Cook's Illustrated. I haven't tried their recommendation, but everything I've ever tried from them has been very good:

At their best, spiral-sliced hams balance sweet, smoky, and salty flavors with a firm, moist texture. Assuming you buy the same cut, does brand matter? To find out, we prepared three nationally available brands of honey- or brown sugar-cured hams.

Tasters' preferences approached unanimity. Falling hard to the bottom, the Hillshire Farm Bone-In Brown Sugar Cured Ham ($2.99 per pound) lost points on two accounts: Tasters described the meat as "utterly devoid of smoke flavor" and "spongy and cottony," and no one liked the "sweet, gummy" glaze applied at the factory. The thickly sliced Carando Honey-Cured Spiral Sliced Ham ($2.99 per pound) earned high marks for its "deep, smoky flavor," but tasters criticized the meat as "too wet" and "too sweet." Nearly every taster praised the "nice balance of smoke and salt" and "genuine ham flavor" in the Cook's Spiral Sliced Hickory Smoked Bone-In Honey Ham ($3.29 per pound). (The Cook's brand is unrelated to Cook's Illustrated.)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

Cook’s Spiral Sliced Hickory Smoked Bone-In Honey Ham
Price: $3.29/lb.
Comments: “Salty,” “smoky,” and “agreeably moist,” this ham easily took top honors with tasters.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS:

Carando Honey-Cured Spiral Sliced Ham
Price: $2.99/lb.
Comments: While most tasters found this ham acceptable, many criticized its thickly sliced, “spongy,” meat that tasted “too sweet.”

NOT RECOMMENDED:

Hillshire Farm Bone-In Brown Sugar Cured Ham
Price: $2.99/lb.
Comments: The glaze’s “gross,” “predicable clove” flavor aside, this ham lost even more points for its “bland,” “almost fibrous” meat.
 
you have mentioned ham, but my wife and I were just talking. Looks like I might be roasting a leg of lamb again. This is a VERY traditional Easter food. Have you had any thought about perhaps a roasted leg of lamb?
 

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