HS Consumer 22.12.2003 - Baked ham belongs to the Finnish Christmas

By Katja Bäcksbacka

The Christmas table in Finland is one place where tradition rules - at least if the yardstick of choice is eating ham.

In more than three out of four Finnish households, the intention this year is once again to get a ham, according to a recent study carried out by Suomen Gallup on behalf of the meat marketing section of Finnfood, the Finnish Food Information Service.

In order that the most anticipated moment (well, for some it may come second to the arrival of the Man in Red) of the Christmas Eve celebrations should be as successful as possible, there are a few things to bear in mind about baking the ham.

One of the most important points - assuming the ham is bought frozen, as is quite common these days - is to ensure that the huge joint of meat is thawed out slowly and in good time. Thawing out a 10-kilo beast in the refrigerator requires around five days, which means of course that if you are reading this on Monday, you are already rather late. Even a six-kilo ham will take three or four days in the fridge. The ham should then be brought out to room temperature for a couple of hours prior to going in the oven.

The surface should be wiped dry all over with kitchen roll. The ham is then to be placed directly onto an oven shelf, skin side up. Jab a meat thermometer deep into the fattest part of the joint, but taking care that it does not touch the bone. Place a shallow oven tray immediately under the shelf, and add a little water, in order that the fat which drips down from the ham does not stick to the bottom of the tray.

The ham should be baked slowly at an oven temperature of 125°C (approx. 260°F), until the internal temperature according to the thermometer reaches between 75 and 80°C. Allow something like one hour for each kilo of weight. The lower the oven temperature, the better the end-result, but then time also becomes a factor.

The temperature inside the joint will increase by a degree or two even after the ham is removed from the oven.

The baked ham is then left to cool for a short while, before removing any net that may be around it (in the case of boneless joints) and the skin on the top surface.

Removing the thick skin and as much of the fat beneath it as you require is an art in itself, and it needs a steady hand, as you will probably want to replace the skin on the ham when you put it back into the refrigerator after the Christmas Eve festivities.

When the skin has been taken off, the exposed upper surface of the meat should be given its traditional coating. In its simplest form, the coating is a layer of good (probably "mild" rather than "throat-busting") mustard, on which are sprinkled breadcrumbs, or possibly ground-up nuts. A sharper rye flavour can be obtained by using crumbs made from sour crispbread (hapankorppuja, "Finn Crisp"). Sprinkle a little sugar over the top for decoration and to glaze it.

Therafter, and after leaving it for a few minutes to settle and dry, it is common to decorate the surface with whole cloves (see picture) or with rosé peppers.

A more classical method is to decorate the surface of the ham with a mixture of mustard (about half a decilitre), egg yolk, and sugar or brown sugar (about half a tablespoonful). Measures are of course dependent on the size of the joint you are dealing with, and on the depth of the coating you require.

Instead of egg-yolk, one could also use honey or apple or plum puree. Herbs are also an ideal accompaniment to the coating. Diced-up parsley, thyme, sage, or oregano can be mixed in with the mustard.

A more Mediterranean feel can be achieved by using a green or red pesto coating and ground pistachios.

The coated ham is then placed in a hot oven (at around 225-250°C, 440-480°F) for five to ten minutes shortly before serving, until the surface takes on a lovely golden brown colour.

Further details, alternative approaches, and other Christmas recipes can be found from the excellent Virtual Finland site linked below. The site itself draws on recipes from a book entitled Entertaining the Finnish Way.

Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 18.12.2003