COOKING A HAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18275, 16 December 1922, Page 4 (Supplement)

COOKING A HAM.

To boil a ham, you require glazo or browned bread crumbs, 2 carrots, 1 bay leaf, a bunch of herßa. Soak the ham in lukewarm -water for 12 hours, changing the water two or three times. If the ham be very hard or salt, it should be soaked for 24 hour 3. Scrape and remove all rusty and and discoloured portions. Put it into a large pan, with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and skim, then add the cleaned and sliced carrots and herbs. Bimmer very gently until cooked, allowing 25 minutes to the pound, and 25 minutes over. An old ham requires 28 to 30 minutes per pound. When cooked, if the ham is not likely to be kqpt for some time, leave it in the water until cold, as this improves the flavour, though the ham does not keep quite so -well. Remove the rind and trim the fat neatly, then either brush it over with glaze or sprinkle thickly with bread crumbs. In the latter case, put the ham into tho oven for a few minutes, as this softens the surface fat, and the crumbs adhere better. Fasten a paper frill round the knuckle, and garnish with parsley A glazed ham is often decorated with leaves and motifs cut out of aspic jelly, or it may be decorated with fancy shapes of white of egg and trufnes._ Sometimes a design in creamed • butter is piped on tho ham through a forcing bag.—A very mellow flavour is given to the ham by adding a pint of cider or ale to the water in which it is boiled. To roast a ham, soak it before hand as described, then put into a large pan, cover with cold water, boil up slowly, and let it simmer for an hour. Take it out of the saucepan, drain it well; put into a large deep earthern pan, and pour over it one pint of sherry; add 3 large onions, peeled and cut in halves, 4 carrots, out small, and about 12 peppercorns. Cover with a cloth, and leave until noxt day, turning tho ham every two hours, so that it becomes soaked in the liquor. When ready to roast, drain it thoroughly, for about 3£ hours. When done, remove the skin, glaze the ham; boil up the gravy, and strain it over the ham. This is rather a, costly dish, but a very delicious one.