Baked ham and all the trimmings will be on many tables as families and friends gather in celebration of the Easter weekend.
Sandwiches made with the leftover ham, or a thick ham bone and bean soup will allow the ham to be enjoyed in several ways after the main meal has been served.
Easter-related recipes this week come from a favourite cookbook donated to my collection by a long-time friend.
Happy Easter to all.
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Easter Ham
- 1 smoked, 10-12 lb. whole tenderized ham
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 tbsps. flour
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 3 tbsps. pineapple juice
- 2 tbsps. whole cloves
- 1 can round pineapple slices, drained
- maraschino cherries
Place ham on a rack, fat side up, in a roasting pan. Do not cover. Bake in a preheated 300 degrees F oven and bake for 25 minutes per pound.
Forty-five minutes before ham is done, remove from oven and remove most of the rind except for a collar around the shank bone. Cut one inch diagonals across fat to form diamonds and place a clove in each cut intersection.
Combine flour, sugar and mustard. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Make a paste of the dry ingredients and 3 tbsps. of the juice.
Layer 1 cup of the paste on the ham, 1/2 inch thick. Place slices of pineapple over the paste. Return to oven and baste frequently over the next 45 minutes.
Before the last 10 minutes, layer ham with the remaining paste, raise heat to 425 degrees F and bake until glazed and browned.
Remove from oven, let rest, then slice. Place a cherry in the centre of each pineapple ring and arrange decoratively on a large platter.
• • •
Sweet Potato Ring
- 12 small to medium sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
Scrub potatoes and boil for 30-35 minutes in sufficient salted water to cover. Peel cooked potatoes and mash to a fine puree.
Grease a 6 cup mold. Pour in melted butter and tilt pan so bottom and sides are thoroughly covered. Add sugar evenly to the bottom then cover with chopped nuts.
Fill mold with mashed potatoes over the sugar and nuts. Place mold in a pan of hot water and bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 45 minutes.
To serve, turn out on a platter as for an upside-down cake so ring will be like caramel on top.
Joyce Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
