BAKED HAM with LEMON - SPICE GLAZE

1 cooked, bone-in-half-ham the shank or butt (6 to 7 lbs)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Finely shredded zest and juice of 5 medium lemons

1 - 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350. Cut off tough, leatherlike skin from ham (if it has it) and score fat and meat in a crosshatch pattern. Put ham, fat side up, in a large roasting pan and tent loosely with foil. Bake until a thermometer in thickest part of meat reaches 120, about 1 - 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, make glaze: In a bowl, whisk sugar, zest, juice and ginger until smooth.

Uncover ham and pour glaze over it into pan. Bake ham, uncovered, basting ham and stirring glaze every 10 minutes, until glaze is a thickened, shiny syrup and thermometer in meat reaches 135 to 140, 15 to 30 minutes.

Let ham rest 5 minutes, then brush with glaze and transfer to a cutting board. Scrape remaining glaze into a small bowl. Carve ham and spoon more glaze on top.

YIELD: Serves 8, with ample leftovers

Notes: Be sure to buy a ham without added glaze; it would mute the flavor of the extra-citrusy one.