New ham recipes for colorful Easter carving

Baked ham is such an Easter tradition that it is not always easy from year to year to find ways to rescue it from repetition and monotony. Before selecting a recipe, you must decide what type of ham you wish to buy. If you enjoy the ritual of carving, choose a bone-in ham and use the bone after Easter for a delicious pea, bean, or lentil soup.

A boneless ham or half-ham will decorate beautifully and will slice easily without waste. Use a favorite jelly, marmalade, or chutney to glaze and sweeten the meat. If your family is very small, select a mini-ham weighing from 1 to 2 pounds.

A cold frosted ham makes an attractive edible Easter table centerpiece and is ideal for a brunch or buffet. Choose a fully cooked canned ham that is boneless and has been trimmed of all fat and connective tissue.

To remove ham from the can easily, open both ends with a can opener and slide the ham out. Wipe off gelatin before frosting ham to serve cold. Lemon Frosted Ham 1 7-pound boneless canned ham Lemon Frost: 1 8-ounce package cream cheese 1 8-ounce carton lemon-flavored yogurt 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish 1/4 teaspoon lemon flavoring, optional Lemon slices, garnish

Combine softened cream cheese and lemon yogurt. Beat until smooth. Add horseradish and lemon flavoring. Spread over top and sides of ham. Chill several hours or overnight. When ready to serve, garnish top with lemon slices. Crown-Stuffed Mini Baked Ham 1 2-pound boneless ham 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 3 medium oranges 2 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 cup unseasoned croutons

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove wrapper and place ham flat side down on rack in shallow baking pan. Make 5 vertical slashes, 1/2 inch apart, to within 1 inch of bottom for stuffing.

Melt butter in saucepan. Add cornstarch and dry mustard and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles.

Cut half of 1 orange into 5 thin slices. Squeeze remaining oranges to get 1 cup of juice.

Add orange juice, honey, and soy sauce to saucepan and cook until mixture boils. Moisten croutons with 1/4 cup sauce; set aside remaining sauce to baste ham as it bakes.

To stuff ham, place an orange slice and about 3 tablespoons moistened croutons in each slash. Ham will fan out slightly to form crown.

Bake 1 hour, basting occasionally with sauce. Serves 4 to 5. Glazed Ham With Homemade Chutney 1 5-pound fully cooked cured ham 3/4 cup orange marmalade, melted Pineapple Chutney (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham in roasting pan. Bake until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F. on meat thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Brush with orange marmalade glaze during last 15 minutes. Serves 10. Pineapple Chutney 1 13-ounce can crushed pineapple 2 l/3 cups brown sugar 1 1/2 cups raisins 1 tablespoon minced onion 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup cider vinegar 1 cup sliced almonds

Mix all ingredients in saucepan and cook over low heat 1 hour or until very thick.

Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Serve warm or at room temperature with Glazed Ham. Cherry Sauce or Glaze for Whole Baked Ham 1 1-pound-5-ounce can cherry pie filing 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine and heat together all ingredients.

Brush or pour mixture over a whole baked ham. Serve remaining glaze as a sauce.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups. Ham Wellington With Cumberland Sauce 1 3-pound fully cooked, canned boneless ham 1 8-ounce can refrigerated quick crescent dinner rolls 8 toothpicks (not plastic) 2 tablespoons margarine Cumberland Sauce (recipe follows)

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham in shallow baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 1 hour. Remove from oven. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Place ham on greased cookie sheet.

Separate dough into 8 triangles. Place base of a triangle at bottom edge of ham. Bring point of triangle up over edge of ham. Curl point back.

Continue with remaining triangles, leaving top open for sauce. Place toothpick directly below each curl to hold in place. Firmly press dough against bottom edge of ham to seal.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 17 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove toothpicks. Brush with melted margarine. Cumberland Sauce 1/2 cup orange juice 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon dry mustard 2 tablespoons water 1/2 cup currant jelly 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 tablespoon cornstarch

In saucepan combine all sauce ingredients except water and cornstarch.

Dissolve cornstarch in cold water. Add to pot.

Heat together until boiling. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.

Just before serving, spoon about 1/4 cup sauce over top of ham.

Serve remaining sauce separately with ham. Serves 8 to 10.