Name: Dried Cherry and Stout Sauce with Brown Sugar and Allspice
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 3 medium shallots, chopped fine; 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice; 4 cups stout; 1/3 cup packed brown sugar; 1 cup dried tart cherries (about 5 ounces); 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Why This Recipe Works

For our simple spiral-sliced ham recipe, we let the ham come up to room temperature before putting it in the oven to keep oven time to a minimum and used an oven bag to seal in the heat. We then developed two sauces—one made with stout and dried cherries, the other with mustard, vermouth, and thyme—that do elegant justice to our perfectly cooked spiral ham recipe.

Before You Begin

Stout is a strong, dark beer made from toasted barley. Here, it makes a rich, full-bodied sauce with subtle smoky notes and a characteristic bitter finish.

Instructions

Whisk together chicken stock and cornstarch; set aside. Heat butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until foaming; add shallots and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in allspice; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add stout, brown sugar, and dried cherries; increase heat to medium-high, bring to simmer, and cook until slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes. Whisk chicken stock and cornstarch mixture to recombine, then gradually whisk into shimmering liquid; return to simmer to thicken sauce, stirring occasionally. Off heat, stir in balsamic vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be cooled to room temperature and refrigerated up to 2 days. Reheat in medium saucepan over medium-low heat.) Serve with ham.