| Baked Country Ham
1 precooked smoked ham with bone (16 lb.)
25-30 whole cloves
1/4 cup of Dijon mustard
2 cups of apple juice
1 cup of packed brown sugar
2 cups of tawny port
2 cups of pitted whole dates
2 cups of dried figs
2 cups of dried prunes
3 bunches watercress, rinsed, patted dry, stems trimmed |
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Preheat oven to 350ºF. Peel the skin from ham and trim fat to 1/4 inch layer. Score fat in diamond pattern. Line a large shallow baking pan with foil and place ham in pan. Insert a whole clove into each intersection of the diamonds and pat the mustard evenly over the top and sides of ham. Sprinkle the sugar over the top and pour the apple juice into the pan. Bake 1 1/2 hours, basting frequently. After putting ham in oven, combine the port, figs, dates and prunes in bowl. Add the fruit and port to the pan after the ham has baked 1 1/2 hours. Bake 30 minutes, basting frequently. Place ham on bed of watercress on large platter. Gently stir fruit through pan juice. Arrange fruit around ham. Serve sauce in Gravy Stand. |
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