Is there anything better about the holidays than eating great food with the people you love? And I’m sure everyone’s familiar with the ever-present holiday ham, often paired with queso de bola. As a child, I would have it as a sandwich everyday during the Christmas season, and even a little after it. But now, my favorite is a bit different from the usual.
If you haven’t met already, let me introduce the Wildflour Holiday Ham. If you frequent this unofficial Titas of Manila café, you might’ve noticed this enticing display. I’ve been ordering this ham for a few years now and it never disappoints.
You can get the ham at ½ kg for Php950 or 1 kg for Php1750 Either way, it comes with a small jar of pineapple glaze, a pack of bread rolls, and instructions – all packaged in a cute minimalist box.
According to the instructions, there are two ways to cook it. To serve a big group, you can cut the whole thing into thick slices, place on a tray and bake in the oven, then serve with glaze on top and bread rolls on the side. If you just want to give yourself a little treat, you can cut one or two slices (or three or four…) then simply cook in a pan.
I do something somewhere in the middle of those options. I like to cut the whole thing then place the slices I don’t plan to eat back in the refrigerator, just so I don’t have to struggle to cut it every time I want some ham. An extra benefit of this is that the remaining slices get to soak up more of the marinade than when they were one big chunk of ham.
I then cook them in a pan – no oil needed! You see, this ham is more similar to pork belly than the usual cold-cuts-y ham you see at Noche Buena. The fat content is quite high, and all that renders down to fry the ham itself. Just be more careful with pans that aren’t non-stick. You could also still use the oven, but that seems like a hassle if you’re only cooking a few slices.
Cook them until they’re a nice golden brown, then serve with the pineapple glaze and bread rolls. Or anything, really! You can have it with rice, as part of a sandwich… I’ve even tried it with noodles a la Hanamaruken.
One downside of this ham is that it is very fatty. As mentioned earlier, it’s more like bacon or pork belly. Some people like eating the fat on pork belly dishes, so this is great for them. I personally feel my heart hurting when I taste the thick bits of fat and I prefer to cut them, which is quite wasteful. Maybe you could use it to cook and flavor other meats?
If you don’t like it too sweet, you can forego the pineapple glaze. The marinade thickens after cooking and forms a nice sticky crust on the pork – a great taste on its own. Personally, though, I think the glaze adds a lovely layer of flavor. In fact, it might even remind you of tocino, but for a more delicate and balanced palate. The bread rolls are very buttery and while I used to find it the perfect partner for the ham, I’ve recently found wheat pandesal or baguette-types of bread to be a better counter for its richness. For the latter, I especially love the Barra from Toyo Bakery.
Whichever way you choose to have it, I think the Wildflour Holiday Ham is the perfect addition to your holiday feasts. It’s great for parties. It’s great for lazy cheat days. It’s even great for gifting, if you can bear to part with it. Whatever the purpose, I highly recommend making it a part of your celebrations this wonderful season.
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