From:
The Thorough Good Cook
Entrees: 35. York Ham with Spinach (Jambon d'Yorck aux Epinards)
Scrape and trim the
ham, and put it in a large
pan or
pot with enough cold water to make it
swim. Add a couple of
carrots,
onions,
celery, a dozen
cloves,
mace,
thyme, and
bay-leaves, and
boil the
ham very slowly indeed for about four or five hours, according to size and weight; and when it is done, allow it to become cold in its own
liquor. When cold, remove the
rind by gently slipping the ends of the fingers of both hands under the
skin of the round, thick end of the ham, and by this means detach it gradually without displacing any of the
fat. Trim the surface of the fat smoothly with a
knife. When wanted
hot, place it in a baking-dish covered with a
greased paper; add just enough of its own liquor to reach up to the edge of the fat, bake it for about half an hour;
glaze, and
garnish with
spinach.
Some cooks are allowed to boil the ham in
champagne. This process is to me simply
senseless. The
alcohol necessarily evaporates in the boiling, and the saccharine residue may be easily (and cheaply) replaced by a little
sugar. There is no harm, however, in serving a
champagne sauce with the dish.