Baked Ham with Cider Glaze
The featured recipe is Baked Ham with Spiced Cider Glaze (p. 166) from Holiday Entertaining. Check the book out in LINKcat.
Ingredients
1 cup (8 fl oz) apple cider
2 cinnamon sticks
20-25 whole cloves
3 star anise
1 fully cooked bone-in ham about 8 lb (4 kg)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp dry mustard
Fresh herb sprigs for garnish
Serves 8-10
Preheat saucepan to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the cider, the cinnamon sticks, 6 of the cloves and the star anise. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. (The spiced cider can be made up to 24 hours ahead; cover and refridgerate until ready to use.)
Cut away and discard any skin on the ham, and trim the fat to 1/2 inch (12 mm) thick. Using a sharp knife, score the fat on the upper half of the ham in a diamond pattern, cutting about 1/4 inch (6 mm) deep. Stick the remaining cloves at the corners of the diamonds. Line a shallow roasting pan with aluminum foil, and then put a rack in the pan. Place the ham, fat side up, on the rack. Bake for 1 1/4 hours.
In a shallow bowl, combine the brown sugar, honey, and mustard and mix well. Pat half of the sugar mixture over the scored surface of the ham. Stir the spiced cider into the remaining mixture. Continue to bake, basting several times with the cider mixture, until the ham is glazed and shining, about 1 hour longer.
Transfer the ham to a carving board and tent with aluminum foil. Let rest for 15 minutes. Carve the ham, arrange on a warmed platter, garnish with the herb sprigs, and serve.