...when we plan our Easter holiday menu, we always start with ham. It is so convenient today to find the pre-sliced spiral cut hams in the market. Make your Easter Dinner Glased Ham a tradition for your family meal ...

Glazed Spiral Cut Ham

1 fully-cooked shank half ham bone-in (pre-sliced is best)
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/8 tsp paprika
1 dash ground ginger
1 dash ground allspice

First you must slice your ham. Use a very sharp knife to cut the ham into very thin slices around the bone. Do not cut all the way down to the bone or the meat may not hold together properly as it is being glazed. You want the slices to be quite thin, but not so thin that they begin to fall apart or off the bone. You may wish to turn the ham onto its flat end and cut around it starting at the bottom. You can then spin the ham as you slice around and work your way up.

Mix the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl.

Lay down a couple sheets of wax paper onto a flat surface, such as your kitchen counter. Pour the sugar mixture onto the wax paper and spread it around evenly.

Pick up the ham and roll it over the sugar mixture so that it is well coated. Do not coat the flat end of the ham, just the outer surface which you have sliced through.

Turn the ham onto its flat end on a plate. Use a blow torch with a medium-size flame to caramelize the sugar. Wave the torch over the sugar with rapid movement, so that the sugar bubbles and browns, but does not burn. Spin the plate so that you can torch the entire surface of the ham. Repeat the coating and caramelizing process until the ham has been well-glazed (don't expect to use all of the sugar mixture). Serve the ham cold or re-heated, just like the real thing.

This recipe yields 1 holiday ham.

Look for a ham that's pre-sliced. Otherwise you'll have to slice it yourself with a sharp knife, then the glaze will be applied. To get the coating just right you must use a blowtorch. If you don't have one, you can find a small one in hardware stores for around 15 bucks.

* Yield: 1 ham

(printer friendly recipe)