Pumpkin flan

To complement the ham I served as the main dish for my winter dinner party, I made pumpkin flan, a nod to Thanksgiving that'd just passed. This was the first time I used pumpkin in a dessert and the first time I made flan. Both worked out well.

Baked cider ham fillet with sticky mustard glaze

This is the first time I've ever dealt with a whole chunk of ham. I'm not a lover of any pork products and it's really in the last few months that I started using them in my cooking. This baked cider ham requires a bit of effort, mostly preparation time. Before cooking, I soaked the entire fillet in cold water in a large stockpot for 24 hours, changing water every 4 hours the first two times and then every 8 hours. Then the ham sat in a bath of cider, thyme, shallots, bay leaves, and peppercorns for another 24 hours before baking. The result was delicious, well worth all the prep work! 

Baked cider ham with sticky mustard glaze

Winter dinner party

I got a beautiful ham fillet from the butcher's a few weeks ago and decided to invite the brother-in-law over for dinner last weekend.

Baked cider ham with sticky mustard glaze,
roasted cauliflower & baby potatoes with parmesan,
French beans with hazelnuts

Ginger carrot soup

A delicious warmer on a cold winter day. I left out potatoes as I wanted a cleaner, lighter soup as part of a hearty meal, but feel free to add in one small to medium russet potato to thicken the soup.

Ginger carrot soup with pine nuts