Baked Ham Slice with Cherry Sauce

Baked Ham Slice with Cherry Sauce

  • By Marie Nightingale
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Preparation of the Easter ham need not mean a rendezvous with eternity. No matter if two people or 10 sit down to enjoy this special meal together, there are cuts that will accommodate you without too many reappearances. Although it's pricier, the tender and meatier centre cut of a fully cooked bone-in ham can serve eight to 10 people with enough left over for sandwiches or a post-Easter casserole. Just make sure it's thick enough (for my testing I used a 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) thick cut). For a family of four, you might want to choose two slices, each cut 1/2-inch (1 cm) thick, and cook them in a skillet until heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Even then, there can be leftovers.

My choice of a cherry sauce came with a desire for the unusual. However, if canned sour cherries are hard to find, opt for another sauce. One nice option is a mustard sauce, made by heating 1/2-cup (125 mL) each of prepared mustard and red currant jelly. You can always rely on a traditional favourite, a cider raisin sauce.

Ingredients

3 lb (1.5 kg) centre cut fully cooked bone-in ham, about 2 1/2 inches (6 cm) thick
1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can sour cherries
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
2 tablespoons (30 mL) flour or cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) dry mustard
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons (10 mL) grated lemon rind
2-3 drops red food colouring (optional)

Directions

If ham has a layer of fat, score edges. Place in a shallow baking dish and bake, uncovered in a 300ºF (150ºC) oven for 1 hour, until heated through.

Drain cherries, reserving juice. Add enough water to cherry juice to measure 3/4 cup (175 mL) and heat in a small saucepan.

Combine sugar, flour, mustard and salt; add to cherry juice and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Stir in lemon rind, food colouring, if using, and cherries. Heat through. Pour sauce over ham, and bake 30 minutes more.

To serve, cut ham in slices and spoon cherry sauce over them.

Makes 8 servings, with leftovers.

Baked Ham Slice with Cherry Sauce

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