The Perfect Pair
Award-Winning Condiments Update Easter Dinner
April 2, 2008
By Kerry Dunnington
Photography by Bryan Burris
Baked ham drizzled with A perfect Pair Tomato Cinnamon Preserves;Carrot and Leek Gratin and fresh steamed asparagus.
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It was the “award winning” sticker on a jar lid that caught my eye in the condiment aisle at Whole Foods Market. When I pulled the jar from the shelf and read the ingredient list, I knew I held a star: When tomatoes are used to make preserves and are combined with sugar, lemon, cloves and cinnamon, the result is perfection.
To learn more, I called the California company that makes it. Susan Knapp, president of A Perfect Pear, answered. She told me that the mastermind behind the winning combination was her grandmother. When Susan and her siblings would go to her house for special occasions or holiday meals, their grandmother always served ham with what they lovingly called “Grandma’s Ham Sauce.”
“I had no idea I would turn my grandma’s ham sauce recipe into Tomato Cinnamon Clove Preserve or that the creation would not only win an award but, as a result of the award, that I would form a company,” Knapp says. Nor did Knapp ever dream that eight years after forming her company she would have 21 products in her line, most of them award winners in prestigious food shows.
The entire collection won Best Product Line at the 2006 America’s Best Food Show. Like the judges, I found Susan’s line of products — which includes salad dressings, condiments, marinades, grill sauces, jams, jellies, preserves, vinegars, oils, pancake mix, syrups and dessert sauces — unique and enticing. My imagination ran wild with pairings. So tempting are the products that it was difficult to choose just one or two to serve with Easter dinner.
To resolve the dilemma, my husband and I held a taste-testing party. I prepared my recipe for baked ham and served it with the Tomato Cinnamon Clove Preserve. Taste testers called the combination “perfect.” Another winning dish was the Creamy Filled Fried Wontons topped with A Perfect Pear’s Pepper Jelly and Tomato Cinnamon Clove Preserve, which testers deemed “extraordinary.” As part of our traditional Easter dinner this year, I am thrilled to serve our family recipe for baked ham with A Perfect Pear’s preserves. It will be accompanied by homemade biscuits, sides of fresh steamed asparagus and my Carrot and Leek Gratin. (If you choose to make the wontons with this meal, make sure you don’t eat too many!)
Creamy Filled Fried Wontons
These tasty morsels are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Warning: The wontons will be devoured in less time than it takes to fry them! If you don’t want to assemble the entire recipe, wontons can be filled in batches. The filling will keep for a few days refrigerated. Wonton wrappers can be found in the refrigerated section of the produce department or in the dairy section of most grocery stores. Wonton wrappers have a shelf life, so make sure to check the expiration date before buying.
- One 8-ounce package light cream cheese, softened
- One package wonton wrappers
- 1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
- (white and green parts)
- 1/2 cup carrot, minced or shredded
- 1/2 cup red pepper, minced
- A few dashes salt
- Olive or canola oil for frying
- A Perfect Pear’s Pepper Jelly and Tomato Cinnamon Clove Preserve
In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, scallions, carrot, red pepper and salt. Working with one wonton at a time, place about one teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of the wonton and fold over into a triangular shape. Dampen fingers with water and pinch seams together. Set wontons on a plate, placing wax paper or plastic wrap between each layer to prevent the wontons from sticking together. Continue filling the wonton wrappers until you have used up the cream cheese mixture. In a large frying pan over medium high heat, heat oil and in batches brown wontons for about 1–2 minutes on each side. Serve immediately. Yields about 50 wontons. Serve with Pepper Jelly and Tomato Cinnamon Clove Preserve.
Carrot & Leek Gratin
A delicious and versatile side dish, the gratin also works well with beef, lamb, pork or chicken. Although five tablespoons of horseradish may seem excessive, have no fear — it gives this dish a wonderful, distinctive flavor. I like the Tulkoff brand; the company is local and family owned.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cups shredded carrots (about 6 medium carrots)
- 2 cups sliced leeks, white parts only (about 4–5 medium leeks)
- 5 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A few grindings of fresh black pepper
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup low-fat or 2% milk
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly cover a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet over moderate heat, melt butter and sauté carrots and leeks until softened, about 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in horseradish, salt and pepper and transfer mixture to baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together cream, milk and eggs. Pour over carrot/leek mixture and stir to combine. In a small bowl, combine breadcrumbs and cheese and set aside. Bake gratin for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and evenly distribute the breadcrumb/cheese mixture and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Serves 6–8.
What to drink? Rosé wine goes beautifully with an Easter dinner. I recommend Fontsainte Gris de Gris 2006. About $15.
Baked Ham
- 1 shank or butt end ham
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 medium onions, quartered
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place ham in a roasting pan; add chicken broth, wine, celery, carrots and onions. Cover roasting pan and bake for 1-1/2–2 hours. Remove ham from roasting pan and discard celery, carrots and onions. Allow ham to cool slightly before carving. Leftover broth can be the basis for soup. To skim fat from broth, refrigerate overnight.
KERRY DUNNINGTON, a menu and recipe developer, does cooking demonstrations at Whole Foods Market and other locations. Author of This Book Cooks, Kerry also writes a column for the Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco weekend editions of The Examiner. She writes a monthly column for baltimore eats magazine. Kerry’s second cookbook, This Book Cooks Too, will be available soon. Visit www.thisbookcooks.com.
