Emeril Lagasse: Sugarcane Baked Ham with Spiced Apples and Pears

I've had a ham taking up all the room in my freezer for a little while now.  Long story.  Basically involves getting a giant ham on special for $8.  But I got tired of this ham taking up all my freezer room.  So it was time to cook the darn thing.  And why not cook it coated in every type of sugary substance they sell at the grocery store?  And since I couldn't find swizzle sticks, but they actually had sugar canes at Central Market, I got to take out all my aggression with a cleaver.  I swear, the lady downstairs probably thinks I was killing someone.  Totally worth it.

Sugarcane Baked Ham with Spiced Apples and Pears
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse

12 sugarcane swizzle sticks, each cut into about 3-inch pieces
1 hickory smoked ham, spiral sliced, 8 to 10 pounds (no bone, water added, cooked)
1½ pounds (about 3 to 4) Granny Smith apples
1½ pounds (about 3 to 4) Bartlett pears

Glaze:
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup Steen's 100% Pure Cane Syrup
½ cup dark molasses
½ cup dark corn syrup
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons bourbon

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line a shallow baking pan with parchment or waxed paper. Insert the sugarcane sticks into the ham at 3 to 4-inch intervals. Tie the ham, using kitchen twine, horizontally and vertically, like a package, to hold it together. Place it on a wire rack in the baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine all of the glaze ingredients together except for the mustard and water. Mix well. In a small bowl, dissolve the mustard in the water, then add to the spice mixture. Blend well.

Brush the entire ham with the glaze, coating it evenly. Wash, core, and halve the fruit. Place all around the ham. Baste the ham a second time and baste the fruit with the glaze. Bake for 45 minutes. Baste the ham and fruit again.  Bake another 45 minutes. Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the string and swizzle sticks. Serve the apples and pears on a platter with the ham. Serve everything warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 servings