Spice up your holiday dinner table this season

Hosting family dinners during the holiday season is an opportunity for hosts to share their spirit and express their love for family and friends. Tastes have evolved over the years, and that evolution has afforded dinner hosts more wiggle room when planning holiday menus. Though traditional staples like ham may never be relegated to the holiday dinner dustbin, cooks can spice things up to make these beloved favorites a little more flavorful.

The following recipe for “Spicy Maple-Glazed Ham,” adapted from chef Jacques Pépin’s “Heart and Soul in the Kitchen” (HarperCollins) for Bonappetit.com, adds a little heat to ham. The former personal chef to French president Charles de Gaulle, Pépin notes that poaching a ham before roasting removes excess salt, ensuring the finished product is tender and juicy.

Spicy Maple-Glazed Ham

Makes 8 to 12 servings

1 10 lb. cured smoked bone-in ham or 6 lb. cured smoked boneless ham

1/3 cup ketchup

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons sriracha

Step 1

If one 10-lb. cured smoked bone-in ham or 6-lb. cured smoked boneless ham has a fat cap, score lightly in a crosshatch pattern, spacing cuts about 3⁄4-inch apart.

Step 2

Transfer ham to a large stockpot and pour in cold water to cover. Cover pot with a lid and bring water to a simmer. Cook, adjusting heat as needed to maintain a simmer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 140 F, 70 to 80 minutes for boneless, 80 to 90 minutes for bone-in. Remove pot from heat and let ham cool in cooking liquid until lukewarm, about 45 minutes.

Step 3

Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400 F. Stir 1/3 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons sriracha in a small bowl to combine.

Step 4

Carefully transfer ham to a wire rack set inside a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels; discard cooking liquid or save for another use. Brush ham with about half the glaze. Transfer to oven and bake until glaze is tacky and lightly browned in spots, 30 to 40 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze and continue to bake until glaze is deeply browned, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Step 5

Transfer ham to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Do ahead: Ham can be simmered 12 hours ahead. Let cool completely, then transfer ham to a wire rack set inside a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill uncovered. Let sit at room temperature 60 to 90 minutes before glazing and baking.