Maple Glazed Baked Ham

Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone and once again I am all turkeyed out. I'm so over turkey at the moment that I can't even imagine having to eat it again in just a few short months at Christmas. Nevermind again at American Thanksgiving. Yes, that's right we celebrate both. My Husband's Father is American so I feel it's my duty to celebrate both Canadian and American Thanksgiving. Okay actually it's just my lame excuse to throw a party and overindulge twice without feeling guilty. Trust me, without rationalizing I wouldn't be able to get through life. But back to the turkey, I just can't go there again so soon so we'll be going with ham. Not that I mind at all.

I know American Thanksgiving is still weeks away but due to my dancin' days, I always have a dress rehearsal. I'm not one to wing a new recipe where company is concerned. Of course I had to do a little fusion type thing and throw my Canadian maple syrup spin on this dish but you could easily substitute honey. Either way this ham is delicious. Perhaps the best thing about baking a ham are the leftovers. And just like turkey, no matter how many guests you have, there are always leftovers. I look forward to a week of eggs benedict, grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, ham casserole and chef's salad. By next week I'll probably be so over ham that we'll be back to the turkey.

Recipe:

1 10 lb smoked ham (let the ham come to room temperature before baking)
whole cloves, about 20

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Prepare the ham by making diagonal slits on the fatty side of the ham in one direction and then again in the opposite direction creating a criss cross pattern.
3. Place individual cloves in the slits of the ham.
4. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil (optional) and place the ham, fat side up, in the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and place the ham in the oven for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the ham from the oven and remove the foil.
6. Brush the ham with the glaze on all sides making sure to get the glaze in the grooves of the slits.
7. Return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and cook for 1 1/2 hours, basting with the glaze every 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham reaches 130 F.
8. Turn the oven to broil and bake the ham another 5-10 minutes just to brown the outside.
9. Remove the ham from the oven, baste once again and let the ham rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Glaze:
1/3 cup light maple syrup (can substitute honey if you don't have maple syrup)
2 tablespoons stoneground mustard
1/3 cup pineapple juice
pinch nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch cinnamon

1. Whisk all of the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a high simmer.
3. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes or just until the glaze has thickened slightly.