French Recipes

Jambon à la chablisienne

Thick slices of cooked ham are warmed gently in a Chablis, shallot, tomato and cream sauce that is reduced before the dairy and finished to a spoon-coating consistency.

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Jambon à la chablisienne — arranged on a serving platter
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 34 minutes
Total 49 minutes
Yield 4 thick ham portions with about 500 ml sauce
Ingredients ↓
Introduction and overview

Jambon à la Chablisienne with Chablis Cream Sauce

Jambon à la chablisienne is a Burgundian ham dish whose sauce depends on Chablis, not simply on the broad idea of white wine. Thick slices of cooked ham are paired with a reduction of Chablis and shallot, then cream and tomato are added for a pale, gently tangy sauce. A small butter-flour liaison provides body without turning it into a floury gravy.

The sequence protects both flavour and texture. Chablis reduces before the cream enters the pan, so the wine concentrates without prolonged boiling of dairy. Tomato paste goes in with the cream in a restrained amount, sharpening and colouring the sauce rather than making it taste like tomato sauce.

Cooked ham needs warming, not another full cooking cycle. Six minutes at low heat in the finished sauce brings the slices to about 60 °C for immediate service while keeping them supple. If a stored portion is reheated later, the target changes to 74 °C because it is then a leftover-reheating task.

A different dry Chardonnay can work from a purely technical standpoint, but it changes the named regional ingredient. The wine also means the dish cannot be described as alcohol-free: reduction lowers alcohol, but some may remain.

Success points

Success points

  • Reduce the Chablis before the cream goes into the pan; the wine stage should be concentrated, not watery.
  • Keep the cream at a gentle simmer and use only enough butter-flour paste to make the sauce coat a spoon.
  • Warm cooked ham rather than simmering it hard; the goal is hot, flexible slices, not tightened meat.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Ham and sauce

  • 600 g thick-cut cooked ham, 4 slices about 5 mm thick, rind removed if present
  • 250 ml Chablis wine, dry white wine; defining named ingredient
  • 250 ml double or whipping cream around 30% fat, unsweetened
  • 80 g shallots, finely chopped
  • 15 g tomato paste, concentrated
  • 15 g unsalted butter, soft
  • 10 g plain wheat flour, for a light beurre manié
  • 5 g fresh tarragon, finely chopped
  • 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
Method

Method

Directions

  1. Prepare the ham and liaison. Prepare four 5 mm ham slices, finely chop the shallots, and knead the butter with the flour into a smooth paste. The ham slices are an even 5 mm thick and the butter-flour paste contains no dry flour pockets.

  2. Reduce the Chablis. Put the shallots and 250 ml Chablis in the sauté pan and simmer over medium heat for about 18 minutes. The wine is reduced to roughly one quarter of its starting volume and the shallots are soft. Do not flambé.

  3. Build the cream sauce. Whisk in the cream and tomato paste, then simmer over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes. The sauce is pale salmon in colour and lightly coats a spoon without splitting.

  4. Finish the sauce texture. Whisk in the beurre manié in small pieces and cook on low heat for 2 minutes. A thin layer of sauce remains on the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean path.

  5. Warm the ham without drying it. Slide the ham into the sauce and warm over low heat for about 6 minutes. The ham is hot through at 60 °C but still supple, and the sauce remains smooth. Stir in tarragon and pepper just before serving.

Serving

Practical

Serving

Place one thick ham slice on each warmed plate and spoon the Chablis sauce over and around it. Pasta, potatoes or vegetables may accompany the dish at the table, but they are outside the recipe and are not included in the nutrition values.

Storage and reheating

Cool ham and sauce promptly, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers slowly while stirring the sauce, and bring the ham and sauce to 74 °C. Avoid repeated reheating because the ham dries and the cream sauce becomes more prone to splitting.

Make-ahead and substitutions

The Chablis reduction can be prepared several hours ahead and chilled. Finish with cream and liaison shortly before service. A different dry Chardonnay can work technically, but the dish should then be described as a ham in Chardonnay cream sauce rather than retaining the exact Chablisienne identity. Cooking reduces alcohol but does not guarantee complete evaporation.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving size1 ham slice with one quarter of the sauce
  • Calories455 kcal
  • Carbohydrate8 g
  • Protein31 g
  • Fat31 g
  • Fibre1 g
  • Sodium1750 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Milk from cream and butter, gluten from wheat flour, and sulphites from Chablis. Warm freshly opened cooked ham to about 60 °C for immediate service; if reheating stored leftovers, bring them to 74 °C. Refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 °C or below. Wine alcohol is reduced but may remain.

Closing

Closing

  • Result: Thick slices of cooked ham are warmed gently in a Chablis, shallot, tomato and cream sauce that is reduced before the dairy and finished to a spoon-coating consistency.
  • Decisive technique: Reduce the Chablis before the cream goes into the pan; the wine stage should be concentrated, not watery.
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