Tasty Tuesdays: Pomegranate-Jalepeno Glazed Ham

After Katrina, my parents and my sister had to move to Houston for a few months, and for the first time our family was separated for Thanksgiving.  Mark and I flew there the weekend before to celebrate the holiday with them, and thus began "Faux Thanksgiving."  Since that year, we have hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner where we celebrate with our friends or family that we don't get to see on turkey day.  This year, we thought we'd continue our little tradition!

We'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner next week, so I wanted our "Faux Thanksgiving" dinner to be a little different.  Here's the lineup...

Mini-Tomato Pies (they aren't very Fall-ish, but they are super tasty!)

Pomegranate-Jalepeno Glazed Ham

Wild Rice, Toasted Walnut, and Cranberry Dressing

Green Bean Salad with Fried Shallots

Milk Chocolate Tart with a Pretzel Crust

INGREDIENTS

1. One 7-pound, bone-in, spiral-cut smoked ham
2. 1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
3. 20 whole cloves
4. One 10-ounce jar jalapeño jelly (1 cup)
5. 1 cup pomegranate juice
6. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7. 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
9. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Place the ham in a large roasting pan and add the chicken stock. Stud the ham all over with the cloves.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring the jalapeño jelly, pomegranate juice and lemon juice to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until slightly thickened, 10 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, cinnamon and ginger and simmer until reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 5 minutes.
3. Drizzle half of the glaze over the ham and cover with foil. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, basting frequently, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham registers 125°. Remove the foil and brush the ham with any remaining glaze. Roast for 30 minutes longer, until the top is lightly caramelized. Transfer to a platter. Discard the cloves. Pour the pan juices into a bowl and serve with the ham.