Sautéed Ham Slices—cream And Madiera Sauce

OH MY!!  There aren't enough expletives to emphasize how much we were digging this sauce!  It is a Julia Child recipe I have been wanting to try, and I had leftover ham from last night's strata, so I figured I would try it out.  The sauce is to unbelievably amazing!  My husband raved about it so much and wanted to have it again, he said it would work with any meat.  While I agree, I think that the sauteed ham donated a lot of flavor to the sauce, and I don't think it would be exactly the same with another meat.  I served it with rice, spinach braised in ham stock, and sauteed mushrooms.  I used beef stock and the port, as they were what I had on hand.  It was an all round favorite.

Sautéed Ham Slices—cream And Madiera Sauce
2 1/2    to 3 lbs of cooked ham sliced ¼ inch thick
2 T  butter
1 T  oil
3 T  flour
2 T  minced shallots or green onions
1 c  very good ham stock,white  or brown stock, or canned beef bou
1/2 c  Madeira or port
1 T  tomato paste
Big pinch of pepper
1 1/2 c  whipping cream
3 T  cognac
[Note: Placed on a bed of spinach braised in stock, surrounded with
broiled mushrooms or sautéed potatoes, this is a delectable ham dish.
Serve with it a  light red wine, or a Chablis or Pouilly-Fuissé.  ]
Trim off excess fat, and cut the ham into serving pieces. Dry on paper
towels.
A few pieces at a time, brown the ham lightly for a minute on each side
in hot butter and oil. Set the ham aside.
Pour all but 2½ tablespoons of fat out of the skillet. Stir in the
flour with a wooden spoon, then the shallots or onions, and cook slowly
for 2 or 3 minutes without browning. Remove from heat.
Bring the stock or bouillon and wine to the simmer in a small saucepan.
Blend it into the flour in the skillet with a wire whip. Beat in the
tomato paste and pepper.
Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring, then beat in the cream. Simmer
for 4 or 5 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce until it coats the
spoon lightly. Taste carefully for seasoning but do not over salt. Stir
in the cognac. Then add the ham slices and spoon the sauce over them.
(May be done in advance to this point. Film surface with a spoonful of
cream and set aside.)
Shortly before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer slowly
for a minute or two until the ham is tender when pierced with a fork.
Taste again for seasoning. Transfer the ham to a platter, or place it
over a bed of braised spinach. Spoon the sauce over the ham and serve.