A great ham takes time, says Chapel Hill, N.C., chef Andrea Reusing, in Cooking in the Moment (Clarkson Potter). One of my favorite ways to prepare a fresh ham is to cure it in a brine before ...

Drain and discard the cooking water. Once the ham is ready to cook, put the joint into a large pan, cover with fresh cold water and add the leeks, onion, carrot, peppercorns, and bay leaves.

Most of the supermarkets will have fresh turkeys in stock from December 20th, but if you want to get the pick of the flock on that date, make sure you ... and both roast at 180 degrees Celsius.” ...