Appetizers made with cooked ham are ideal to serve anytime, especially in the spring. I like preparing them for garden party style events because they are light, tasty and pair well with several other ingredients. With that said, here’s a quick look at different ways to make them:
Cheese it Up
It is no secret that ham goes well with cheese. However, it’s how you combine the two ingredients that can make an appetizer more interesting. I have found that one of the best ways to do that is to dice the ham and include it inside cheese balls. Cheeses that work nicely with diced ham are blue, cream and cheddar.
If you don’t want to place the ham inside a cheese ball, you may want to place it on top of bread instead. In that regard, there is a wonderful cordon bleu appetizer recipe posted on the Taste of Home website that I would recommend using. I have made the appetizers before and my family loved them.
Get Devilish
One of my other favorite ways to make garden party appetizers is to whip up a batch of deviled ham. Then I’ll slather it on everything from fresh cucumber slices, baked potato wedges and sliced tomatoes to puffed pastry and melon slices. In my opinion, it is just a simple and tasty way to make a batch of appetizers in a hurry.
Use Fruits
In my experience, ham also works well when paired with fresh fruits and preserves. For example, you could wrap sliced ham around melon slices or pineapple chunks. Then just secure the ham into place with a toothpick or a sugar cane skewer. Personally, I prefer using the skewers because they add an extra bit of sweetness to the appetizers. You can typically purchase the sugar cane skewers through the Hula Girls Foods’ website.
You could also spread fruit preserves onto toasted bread or crackers and top them with ham. I have found that people tend to gobble them up too. If you do decide to go that route, I would recommend using preserves made with blackberries, peaches and apricots. They tend to work exceptionally well.
Have a Ball
Ham also makes a superlative appetizer when baked into a bourbon ball. I know that it may sound odd to do so but they taste really good. Should you want to test it out for yourself, there is a bourbon ham ball recipe posted on the Specialty Foods Group website that is superb. The balls are typically served with bourbon infused dipping sauce. However, I like to serve it with additional sauces as well. Ones that tend to pair nicely with them are raspberry chipotle, cranberry, horseradish and Dijon mustard.
Source: Personal Experience
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