Ingredients

• 2 cups honey, for glazing ham
• 2 tablespoons Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 country ham
• 6 celery stalks

Directions

Toasted Spice Rub:

1/4 cup fennel seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1/4 cup (1-ounce) pure California chili powder

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool.

Put mixture into a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.

Chef's notes: Toasting freshens spices, releases their oils, and makes them more fragrant, as well as adding a new dimension of flavor.

Taste your chili powder before adding and, if spicy and hot, cut back the amount. California chiles are almost sweet, not hot.

Yield: about 1 cup

Savory Bread Pudding

Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello

1 loaf country-style bread (about 1 pound)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces, divided

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

Finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, divided

3 cups whole milk

6 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a serrated knife, shave off the thicker parts of the crust from the bread loaf. Cut the bread into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Spread the bread cubes in a single layer on a 13 by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a large bowl. Leave the oven on.

In a skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over high heat and cook, without stirring, until it turns nut brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and cook for 10 seconds to release its fragrance.

Pour the onion mixture over the toasted bread. Add 3/4 cup of the Parmesan and toss well.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and nutmeg. Pour the milk mixture over the bread and toss well.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Arrange the toasted bread evenly in the baking dish. Pour the custard evenly over the bread. Scatter the blue cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan over the top. Bake until the bread is golden brown and crispy on top and a thin knife blade inserted into the custard comes out almost clean, about 30 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Cut into individual servings and serve warm.