When I was growing up, my father was obsessed with Krakus ham. My mom would make it every Easter and New Year’s Day, spiked with whole cloves and topped with a handful of brown sugar. After some time in the oven, perfuming the entire house, the ham would emerge crispy and crackly on top—a perfect interplay of umami, sweetness, and spice.
While I no longer eat ham, that memory suffused the warm, celebratory holidays of my childhood.
