Ham with Cloves, Honey, and Dried Cherries

 

 “Sad to say, the kitchens proved to have no wild boar on hand, and there was not time enough to send out hunters. Instead, the cooks butchered one of the castle sows, and served them ham studded with cloves and basted with honey and dried cherries. It was not what Cersei wanted, but she made do.” -A Feast for Crows

 

Ingredients:

• 1 10 lb. ham (ours was spiral cut, but we would have preferred a solid one)
• ~30 cloves
• 2 large handfuls of dried cherries

 

For the Glaze:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple cider

 

Stud the ham with cloves.

 

In a saucepan, mix together the honey, vinegar, and cider. Stew this together over medium heat for around 10 minutes, then pour over the cloven ham.

 

Place ham in a roasting pan with tall sides and reheat according to the directions that come with it. Periodically baste the ham with the juices.

 

When done, remove the ham to a serving platter and add the cherries to the juice in the pan, cooking it down until it has thickened somewhat and the cherries have plumped. Pour the sauce into a serving vessel as a side sauce, splashing a little on the ham to enhance the flavor. Enjoy!

 

 

 

*For one or two people, you can fry down ham steaks in bacon grease on the stove top on med-high heat. Turn the heat to low then toss in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter then make the glaze in the pan you fried the ham. Follow the ingredients above for the glaze. Tossing the the cherries and cloves then simmer on low for 3 to 5 minutes.Turning the ham steaks half way through the cooking time to coat. 

 

**I did not have dried cherries so I used jarred maraschino cherries and a little bit of the juice in the glaze. Worked nicely for me. 

 

 

Source: Inn at the Crossroads