Method

Remove the ham from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to bake it so that it comes to room temperature.  Remove any plastic wrapping.  Rinse the ham and pat it dry with paper towels.

If you've bought a ham that has skin on it, carefully cut off the skin as well as all but about 1/4 inch of fat.

If you wish to add a traditional decorative diamond pattern, use a knife to score the surface of the ham in 1-inch diamonds.  Take care not to cut much deeper than  1/4 inch into the surface.

Preheat the oven to 300°F.  Place a rack in the lower third of the oven to accommodate the roasting pan and ham.

Drain the can of peaches, saving the syrup.  Depending on the size of the can, you should have about 1 cup syrup.  Add the bourbon to the peach syrup and set aside.

Place the ham in a large roasting pan, cut side down, so that the mound of the ham rises out of the pan.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and dry mustard; mix well.

Using your hands, rub the mustard mixture all over the ham.  Expect some of it to fall into the bottom of the pan.

Bake the ham for 12 to 15 minutes per pound, about 2 hours altogether.  The purpose here is to heat the ham completely.  After 1 1/4 hours baking, remove the ham from the oven, pour the bourbon mixture over the ham, and return it to the oven.  Bake for the remaining 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with a long-handled spoon or bulb baster.

Remove the ham from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

In a saute pan on top of the stove, saute the sliced peaches in a little butter until warmed through and the surface and edges of the peaches become a light golden brown.

Slice the ham and serve, passing the sauteed peach slices.

Serve: 20 as main course

Reprinted with permission from ©The City Cook, by Kate McDonough, published by Simon & Schuster click for book review

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