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Ham Steaks With Madeira Cream Sauce #CookForJulia

Ham Steaks with Madeira Cream Sauce Recipe Photo

Magnolia Days is officially one year old. Actually, today it is one year and one day old. I launched this blog on August 8, 2011 with my Let’s Play! post. I invited the world to visit my virtual playground and have some fun. I started this blog to share and connect with the world. I also wanted to learn new things. I had no idea then how much I would learn over the course of a year. It has been an incredible adventure and I am ready for more.

Trying new recipes has helped me learn more about cooking. Even though I have cooked since an early age, I still have much to conquer in the kitchen. The excitement of preparing a fabulous new dish or dessert fills my heart and soul. Julia Child’s Ham Steaks with Madeira Cream Sauce is the latest fabulous dish I made. To be more specific, it is the Madeira cream sauce that is fabulous. Pour it in a cup and let me sip on it. I have not been this excited about a sauce in, well, ever.

Ham is fantastic all by itself. Country ham, baked ham, ham steaks – they are all good to me. I will often buy ham steaks and grill them plain. With Julia Child’s 100th birthday celebration going on, I have been scouring through her “The Way to Cook” cookbook for recipes to make. I ran across this recipe with Madeira and it caught my attention. I have been saving a bottle of it for years. It gave me a good reason to finally open it up.

The rest of the recipe seemed pretty good so I went with it. I thought it would be a nice sauce for the ham. Nice? About a thousand times nice for sure. Having to wait until I took photos before I could dive in was difficult. As soon as I captured a decent enough shot it was time for dinner. I put the sauce on the ham, potatoes, and green beans. Then I did the same with a roll. When I cleared the table I took a spoon and ate the rest. I was not going to waste a drop of the sauce.

Thank you Julia Child for sharing the recipe! Well, not only this recipe but all the recipes, cooking tips, kitchen wisdom, and much more. The recipe below is adapted from Julia’s and reflects my method of preparation. Of course the original recipe can be found in her wonderful cookbook.

Special thanks to YOU for visiting my blog. Even more thanks if you are subscribing by email or RSS feed. Your reading and sharing of my posts and blog is so very much appreciated. The journey continues and I cannot wait to see what the next year brings. So come along with me…let’s keep playing and have some fun!

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Ham Steaks With Madeira Cream Sauce

Ham steaks with a decadent and delicious cream sauce made with Madeira (fortified wine). Recipe adapted from one by Julia Child.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 12 minutes
Servings 2 people
Author Renee

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 to 4 slices ham steaks
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 1/3 cup Madeira
  • 1/3 cup ham or chicken stock

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, add the mustard, tomato paste, and cream. Stir to combine until smooth and set aside.
  2. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter and olive oil. When the foam begins to subside, add the ham steaks and brown each side (about 1 to 2 minutes per side). Add the shallots, Madeira, stock and cover the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.
  3. Remove the ham to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Bring the Madeira mixture to a boil and reduce it down until it is thickened as the consistency of a syrup (will be darker in color also). Add the cream mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Return the ham steaks to the pan. Baste the ham with the sauce. Continue to simmer for a few minutes to slightly thicken the sauce. Remove the ham to hot plates or a platter and spoon some of the sauce over it. Serve warm with remaining sauce on the side.

Recipe Notes

Ham steaks with a decadent and delicious cream sauce made with Madeira (fortified wine). Recipe adapted from one by Julia Child.

Recipe Rating




Heather @girlichef

Saturday 11th of August 2012

Happy One Year Blogiversary - that's fantastic! And holy cow, this Madeira cream sauce does sounds fabulous. I just want to drink it!

Baker Street

Saturday 11th of August 2012

Woot! Congratulations on a year! Here's to many more delicious years to come! :)

Liz

Friday 10th of August 2012

Happy anniversary, Renee!!! My boys love ham, but I've never purchased ham steaks. The sauce sounds amazing...can't beat a Julia recipe :)

diabeticFoodie

Thursday 9th of August 2012

Happy Blogiversary! I'm so glad I discovered you and your blog through #SundaySupper.

Renee

Thursday 9th of August 2012

Thanks! I am glad to have connected with you via #SundaySupper. It is a fantastic group with so many wonderful blogs.

Eileen Gross | Wine Everyday

Thursday 9th of August 2012

Happy Blog Birthday! Congratulations to all you have accomplished this past year, and much success to your future journey! I'm happy to have gotten to know you!

Cheers Renee!

Renee

Thursday 9th of August 2012

And I am happy to have gotten to know you too. The blogging world has really connected me with so many great people.