Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

4 lb Country Ham 1 Stalk of Celery
1 Onion, peeled and quartered 1 lb Bouquet Garni (see below)
1 Carrot, quartered 6 Peppercorns

-------------------------FOR BAKING------------------------------
1/4 c Dark Brown Sugar 1 1/2 c Cider
1/4 ts Ground Mace Watercress (for garnish)
1 Orange Rind AND Juice

-----------------------BOUQUET GARNI----------------------------
3 Parsley sprigs 1 Bay leaf
1 Thyme sprig

METHOD: Allow 1/2 to 1 lb. of ham per person, depending on the amount
of bone included. If the ham is heavily cured (like Virginia ham)
immerse it for 4 hours in cold water and then drain. If lightly
cured, cook it without soaking. Put the ham in a large saucepan with
the vegetables, water to cover, bouquet garni and peppercorns. Cover
and simmer gently 1 1/4 hours for a 2 lb. cut or 30 minutes per pound
for cuts over 3 lbs. (20 minutes per pound is enough for large hams
over 10 lbs.).

When the ham is cooked, drain it and peel away the skin. This is
easily done by carefully lifting corner of skim with a knife and
pulling with the fingers. If the ham is very hot, hold skin with a
cloth or paper towel. Set ham in a baking pan, fat side upwards.

Combine sugar, mace orange rind and juice to form a paste; spread
over ham and pour cider around it. Bake in a moderately hot oven
(375øF) for 30 minutes or until golden, basing often.

WATCHPOINT: Wait until the sugar begins to brown on the ham before
basting with cider. You need to keep the ham moist. But it's not
too difficult to baste the lean part of ham and avoid sugared crust.

Finish the top as follows: if using an electric stove, caramelize the
sugar crust by placing under a hot broiler for 5 to 7 minutes until
crisp and brown. If using a gas stove, heat two metal skewers in the
flame until red hot. Take each skewer in turn and hold lightly on
the sugar crust to burn decorative lines.

Arrange ham on a platter and if serving hot, let stand in a warm
place 15 minutes before serving to make caring easier. If serving
cold, allow ham to become completely cold before carving. Garnish
with watercress and serve with raisin or Cumberland sauce.

NOTE: Bouquet garni (a bunch of herbs) -- is traditionally made of
parsley, thyme and bay leaf (tied together with string if used in
liquids which are to be strained). Otherwise herbs should be tied in
a piece of cheesecloth for easy removal before serving the dish. If
you have no fresh thyme use 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme.
Submitted By SANDRA MAY On 01-14-95

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