Jambon Braise Au Madere (Braised Ham W/Madeira Sauce - France)

This recipe from *The Best Ever French Cooking Course* cookbook by Carole Clements & Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen really impressed me as an easy way to turn an ordinary ham steak into something extraordinary & definitely company-worthy. Per the intro, "The Morvan district of Burgundy is known for producing fine quality, mild cured hams. Accompanied by this rich Madeira sauce, a simple ham steak is transformed into an elegant dish." Served w/the sauce & a simple side of creamy mashed potatoes, the pic had me drooling as I typed ... but be sure to read my note at the end of the prep. *Enjoy* !

• Ready In: 23 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 Main-Dish Servings

Ingredients

• 4  tablespoons butter
• 4  shallots (finely minced)
• 2  tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2  cups  beef stock
• 1  tablespoon tomato puree
• 6  tablespoons madeira wine
• 4  ham steaks (6-7 oz each)
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Directions

1. Melt half the butter in a heavy med-sized saucepan over med-high heat. Add the shallots & cook for 2-3 min till just softened, stirring freq.
2. Sprinkle over the flour & cook for 3-4 min till well-browned, stirring constantly. Whisk in the stock + tomato puree & season to taste w/salt & pepper. Simmer over low heat till the sauce is reduced by nearly half, stirring occ.
3. Taste the sauce & adjust seasoning as desired. Add the Madeira wine & cook for 2-3 minutes. (The sauce can be made up to 3 dys in advance, chilled & then rewarmed to serve.).
4. Snip the edges of the ham steaks to prevent curling. Melt the remaining butter in a lrg fry pan over med-high heat. Add the ham steaks & cook 4-5 min (turning once) till the meat feels firm to the touch. Serve immediately w/the sauce.
5. *Notes* ~ This is where I often go astray w/a recipe - a point where I begin to think about a better (or easier) way to do something or a way I pers prefer. *For example* ~ 1) The recipe said to strain the sauce at the end of Prep Step 3, but I deleted that as I rarely see it as beneficial & certainly not w/this recipe as the sauce has no food solids other than finely minced shallots -- 2) I esp like that this sauce can be made ahead & rewarmed to serve, but I'd be more than reluctant to walk away from the lovely pan drippings from cooking the ham steaks -- so I'd be inclined to rewarm the sauce in that same pan to add to the rich flavor of the sauce b4 serving.