Maple-baked Ham with Macaroni and Cheese, and Beans with Cashews

Raul finally has a day off and, after cleaning out the fridge, he happily settles into the kitchen. "We need a larger kitchen," he asserts. "I want all the pans to hang on a wall. Emptying them out of the stove every time I bake something is becoming tedious. Besides it would look great." The perfect marriage of décor and efficiency is one of Raul's goals in life.

"What's for dinner?" asks Drew as fabulous fragrant smells begin to waft out of the kitchen.

"Mac n' cheese and ham. We're going old school today."

Raul boils an entire ham for 30 minutes in four cups of water and a quarter cup of vingear, with a quartered onion, 10 cloves and a bay leaf. This takes out the fat and salt creating a blank canvas. "It becomes a regular 1950s ham instead of a preservative-laden tasting piece of meat," explains Raul. He lets it cool in the broth so that it doesn't become dry. When cooled he scores the ham and drizzles it with maple syrup (courtesy of Drew's Mom who gets it at her summer home up north, this maple syrup is the real deal and tastes incredible) before baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

It bakes at the same time as the mac n' cheese which Raul makes using the 1946 Fannie Farmer' Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese recipe from food.com.

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) packages macaroni

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 cup cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded good quality

1/2 cup breadcrumbs, buttered

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions; set aside.

In a large saucepan melt butter.

Add flour mixed with salt and pepper, using a whisk to stir until well blended.

Pour milk and cream in gradually; stirring constantly.

Bring to boiling point and boil 2 minutes (stirring constantly).

Reduce heat and cook (stirring constantly) 10 minutes.

Add shredded cheddar little by little and simmer an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Turn off heat.

Add macaroni to the saucepan and toss to coat with the cheese sauce.

Transfer macaroni to a buttered baking dish.

Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Bake 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.

(You can also freeze this recipe in zip-lock bags for later use - once you have mixed the macaroni along with the cheese sauce allow to cool to room temperature before adding to your freezer - I generally pull it out the night before and allow macaroni and cheese to reach room temperature; I then add the macaroni and cheese to a buttered baking dish, sprinkle with bread crumbs and then bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbling.)

Raul follows the directions exactly except that, to accommodate the ham, he bakes the mac n' cheese for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

The ham is not as tender as the Filipino Ham but it is sweeter and has a hammier flavour. "Delicious," raves Drew. "And the beans steamed and then garnished with cashews somehow really complements the mac n' cheese." 

"I think the real syrup makes the difference," says Raul. "We must remember to thank your mom."