3148. HAM and BACON with MUSTARD and BROWN SUGAR SAUCE

serves 4-6


6 slices thick-cut bacon
1 ham steak, about 3/4-inch thick
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2-1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200. Heat a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Cook the strips of bacon until browned and crisp on both sides, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels, leaving the rendered bacon fat in the skillet. Keep the bacon warm in the oven.

Return the skillet with the bacon fat to medium-high heat. Add the ham steak and cook until browned on both sides, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and keep it warm in the oven.

Return to the skillet to medium-low heat. Add the mustard and brown sugar and cook, whisking, until the sugar dissolves into the mustard. Whisk in the cream, then the vinegar, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Taste the sauce and season it with salt and pepper. The ham and bacon are salty, so you'll want to season the sauce judiciously with salt, but with lots of pepper. Thin the sauce with a splash of water. Spoon the sauce over the ham and serve with the bacon.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Canal House Cooks Every Day by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, Andrew McMeel Publishing, 2012