Freshening the tradition of the glazed Easter ham

Who says the traditional Easter ham has to be traditional?

We understand that there is good reason for many traditions, particularly when it comes to food. After all, many food traditions earned their place because they are simply delicious. The glazed ham is a fine example. And that’s why we decided not to mess with that part of this spring staple.

We did, however, play around with what our ham is glazed with. We decided to ditch the orange marmalade, brown sugar, pineapple-cherry, and various clove-spiked options, and took our inspiration from an Asian pantry staple — hoisin sauce. It comes ready-made by the jar, usually in the Asian food section of the grocery.

We stirred in a few extras to jazz it up, then used it as a simple glaze. In keeping with the theme, we served the ham with a light slaw of Napa cabbage and snow peas dressed with a light vinaigrette.

Our ham was on the large size; if you don’t need one quite so big, serve any extra glaze as a sauce alongside the ham.

Hoisin-Glazed Ham With Napa Cabbage and Snow Pea Slaw

Start to finish: 5 hours (30 minutes active); Servings: 24

Yes, 24 servings is a lot. But Easter ham is like Thanksgiving turkey; you want ample leftovers. So we went big to ensure you’ll have plenty to send home with guests, and still have more for sandwiches and soups the next few days.

For the ham:

10- to 12-pound bone-in ham

9.4-ounce jar hoisin sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

For the slaw:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch of salt

Ground black pepper

1 head Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced

6 ounces snow peas (about 1 heaping cup)

Heat the oven to 300 F. Fit a large roasting pan with a roasting rack.

Set the ham on the rack, then slice a hash pattern over the entire surface, cutting about 1/2 inch deep. Roast the ham for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the hoisin, five-spice powder, red pepper flakes, garlic powder and ginger. Once the ham has roasted for 1 hour, brush half of the glaze over the surface of the ham, being sure to get some of the glaze down into the slice marks. Roast for another hour, then brush the ham with the remaining glaze.

Continue roasting, monitoring the temperature and color. Cook the ham until it reaches 160 F at the center, about another 2 hours. If the outside of the ham begins to get too dark, tent it with foil. Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

While the ham bakes, prepare the slaw. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, oil, ginger, sugar and salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the Napa cabbage, scallions and snow peas. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap, then refrigerate until ready to serve. Toss the slaw with the dressing just before serving.

Per serving: 330 calories; 180 calories from fat (55 percent of total calories); 20 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 90 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 26 g protein; 1720 mg sodium.