Pickles, Sauces & Extras

Raisin Sauce

From the kitchen of Mary April

Raisin sauce for ham is a dish with roots in medieval European cooking — sweet-savory fruit sauces for meat that were common across the continent before sugar became cheap enough to make pure sweetness the default. In German-American cooking, this tradition survived long after it faded elsewhere, and a good raisin sauce at Easter or Christmas was the mark of a cook who knew the old ways. Mary April's version, enriched with ham drippings and crushed pineapple, is exactly right.

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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Soak raisins in warm water for 1 hour. Drain.
  2. Put into a skillet with pineapple and juice.
  3. Add some of the ham drippings and bring to a boil.
  4. Add enough flour to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve with ham.
💡 Tip: The perfect accompaniment to Easter or Christmas ham — a family tradition.