Yam recipes

Let the oven have the day off and turn on your crockpot for this succulent dish you will love.

Ham in champagne baked with two bottles of extra dry champagne, brown sugar, honey, ginger, and dry mustard. A showstopping holiday ham with a bubbly glaze basted every 15 minutes until lacquered.

Walnut raspberry brownies made with unsweetened chocolate and topped with warm raspberry jam. Fudgy, nutty, and fruit-glazed with a rich chocolate base and 1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts.

Smoked chicken strips dredged in spiced flour, browned in butter, simmered in white wine, then wrapped in thin-sliced ham. An elegant party appetizer served on cocktail picks.

Fiery habanero hot sauce sweetened with canned plums, apricots, plum jam, and sugar, then smoothed with vinegar and pimentos. A fruity, face-melting condiment that makes 10 cups.

Broccoli and ham quiche with a rustic oatmeal crust instead of traditional pastry. Hearty, filling, and a smart way to sneak whole grains into dinner.

Slow-cooked chili beans with dried black beans and black-eyed peas simmered with a ham hock in chicken broth. Soaked overnight, then oven-braised low and slow. Serve on their own or add to chili.

Roasted boneless ham with a tangy rhubarb sauce made with orange juice, cinnamon, and dry mustard. The sauce gets spooned over the ham during the final minutes of roasting for a glossy, sweet-tart glaze.

Nothing says comfort food like grandma's cookin'. I have simplified the process with canned beans but feel free to use a comparable amount of fresh. I also replaced the lard in Grandma's recipe with (marginally more healthy) butter.

Ham and bacon-wrapped chicken breasts baked in creamy mushroom sauce, then sealed in golden puff pastry packets. A showstopper dinner party main that's easier than it looks.

Old-fashioned navy bean soup simmered low and slow with a meaty ham bone, onions, and bay leaf. Just 7 ingredients, feeds a crowd of 15, and freezes like a dream.

Delicate crepes spread with strawberry jam and rolled around vanilla whipped cream folded with sliced fresh strawberries. A French-inspired dessert that's on the table in 20 minutes.

Layers of chopped ham and tart green apples seasoned with sage, topped with buttery mashed potatoes and baked until the peaks turn golden brown. A hearty savory-sweet casserole that feeds six.

Little jam cakes with a hidden pocket of gooseberry jam baked inside a light, buttery sponge. Bite-sized treats for lunchboxes, tea time, or dessert.

Graham cracker-crusted baked ham glazed with brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and graham crumbs, studded with whole cloves. A sweet, crunchy twist on the classic holiday ham.

Fruits afire is a flambe dessert with canned pears, apricots, and bing cherries in a reduced cinnamon-apricot syrup, finished tableside with flaming rum. A dramatic, retro showstopper.