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03/08/2002 Archived Entry: "Ham Steak Baked in Milk"

I don’t remember where I originally got this recipe for ham steak. It was so long ago. But, as I said on the radio, I was reminded of it while browsing through old books last week. I was sorting through my collection, preparing for my book sale on April 14. As you may have heard, I am divesting myself of a huge number of cookbooks. The sale is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Polly Talbot’s a la carte cooking school on Atlantic Ave. in Lynbrook, Long Island. Please come, say hello, and buy something. I am pricing everything very low, from 50 cents for simple paperbacks to $10 and $12 for gorgeous coffee table books, with hundreds of books priced at $3 to $6. (I’ll autograph anything that costs more than $5.)

Anyway, while browsing through these old books, I found this ham baked in milk recipe in a book written in the 1940s by Walter Veach. This was not my source. It must have been a recipe of that era, however. Veach was a good friend of James Beard and, according to Beard’s forward to the book, a wonderful cook and host. Veach was an American living in Paris and most of the recipes are French, so this all-American one popped out at me.

I used to make this recipe all the time in the late 1960s and until late 1970s, and it landed in my long-ago, out-of-print book, “Cooking in a Small Kitchen,” which was published in 1978. At that time, I liked to serve the ham steak with spoon bread, which is essentially a corn bread soufflé, and with greens, such as collards. In those days, I’d serve the ham with a slightly sweet German wine – a spatlese. Now I might choose a dry to off-dry, and very fruity California Chenin Blanc. A spicy Gewürztraminer is another good choice, whether from Alsace or California.

Ham Steak Baked in Milk
Serves 4 or 5

You may have to have this ham steak custom cut for you. The ones I see already packaged in the meat case of supermarkets are sliced much thinner than necessary. A thin cut steak will not work well in this recipe.

1 1-1/4-inch thick center cut ham steak (about 2-1/2 pounds)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 quart (approximately) whole milk

The ham steak should have a round center bone and about a half-inch layer of fat surrounding it. Cut off a small piece of the fat and, with it, grease a baking dish not much larger than the steak. An oblong Pyrex baking dish will do, but a gratin pan that is attractive enough to go to the table is better.

Mix the brown sugar, mustard, and ginger together. Rub half the mixture into one side of the ham steak. Place it in the greased baking dish and rub the other side of the ham steak with the remaining mixture.

Pour in enough milk just to cover the ham steak. Place in a preheated 350-degree oven and bake for about 2 hours. When done, all the milk will have evaporated and there will be dark brown crust over the meat and sticking to the pan. Include a piece of this crust with a serving of meat.

Spoon Bread
Serves 4 to 6

I can remember my first taste of spoon bread. This rich soufflé of cornbread is a specialty of Virginia, which has many French influences in its cooking, courtesy of Thomas Jefferson. The vivid moment was at the Kings Arms restaurant in historic Williamsburg. I was probably about 10 years old. I was enchanted by the candle-lighted dining room and the waiters and waitresses in colonial costume. Above all, the taste of the spoon bread, with a big lump of butter melting over it, is still with me.

1 cup white cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups boiling water
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 egg whites

In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, butter, and salt. Pour in the boiling water and stir until butter is melted. Let cool slightly.

Beat in the egg yolks and milk, then the flour and baking powder.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter, then pour into a greased 2-quart casserole. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Note: Leftovers may be reheated the next day as corn bread or dried out and crumbled for pork chop stuffing.