Christmas Dinner for Two

Not every holiday dinner is meant for happy hordes of friends and family.  Sometimes it’s just a quiet meal between two soulmates.  This delightful little dinner is easy to prepare and perfect for an intimate evening of good food and conversation.

1 small, fully cooked HAM, about 2 pounds
1 can Pineapple Rings
Maraschino Cherries
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Pineapple Juice (from the canned pineapple)
pinch ground clove

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

If your ham is pre-sliced, use two metal skewers to hold it together, pushing them all the way through the ham.

Line a small baking pan with aluminum foil and place a small baking rack or cooling rack in the bottom of the pan. Place the ham on the rack. Top with pineapple rings, held in place with toothpicks. My ham took 4. Use a toothpick hold one maraschino cherry in the middle of each pineapple ring. Place the ham in the oven and back for 15 minutes.

While the ham cooks, combine 1/4 cup pineapple juice and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Add a pinch of ground clove. (If you like a mustard flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder as well.) This is the glaze for the ham.  Tip: Drops of glaze into the pan might cause some smoke as the sugar burns, adding some water into the bottom of your baking pan can prevent this.

Remove the ham from the oven and turn the oven up to 450 degrees F.

While the oven heats up glaze the ham by carefully pouring the glaze over the ham so it covers all of the top and sides. Place it back in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the glaze begins to brown. The ham should be heated through. Test with a kitchen thermometer to be sure it has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. When heated through, remove from the oven and serve.

You can serve this with baked beans, a salad, mashed potatoes, bread or whatever sides you like. A simple tomato salad can be made by slicing a tomato per person. Place the sliced tomatoes on a serving plate, top with crumble goat cheese or goat feta and drizzle with a bit of good balsamic vinegar.