QUESTION: Some of my family members are not pork eaters. During the holiday season, they prefer "turkey ham" instead of the regular baked ham. Do you have any ideas on how to make this dish a little more flavorful? I have pre-sliced and baked the turkey-ham, adding a sweet glaze, but my glaze recipe is always crappy. Your expertise is greatly needed and appreciated. Thank you! ANSWER: I've always been a little afraid of that turkey-ham. Never could figure out how they crossed a turkey with a pig. It always sounded like one of those really bad made-for-cable movies where the voice-over intones, "They only wanted to create a tastier piece of meat. Little did they know that their experiment would go horribly awry. They created a monster that not only liked to wallow in mud, but whose gobbling tormented humans for miles around." It would be one of those movies that's so bad it's good — after awhile, you would not only enjoy the movie, you'd start to crave some cranberry sauce. And this brings us back to the real world. What to do with turkey-ham?First, we should have a little understanding of the definition of ham. Ham by itself means pork that comes from the hind leg of a hog. Just so you are clear, ham from the front leg of a hog should be labeled pork shoulder ham or picnic ham.Some people think turkey by definition is the person who writes this column. Others have even referred to me as a ham. But to those who try to call me a turkey ham, I cry fowl! Just as ham is from the thigh of a hog, turkey ham is made from the thigh meat of a turkey and is considered a lower fat alternative to its porky cousin. Although, turkey thigh meat has more fat and is juicer than breast meat, turkey ham can be up to 95 percent fat free.That brings us to glazes. Glazes are spread over a ham prior to baking to enhance the flavor and to keep the meat moist and tender. Since we are working already with a low-fat ham (turkey), glazing is even more important. It's not that I don't want your crappy glaze recipe — but, depending on how much you actually like your family members, maybe one of the following combinations would actually be better. Start with this basic recipe and follow the cooking tips below.Here are some other ingredients you can experiment with to make your own glazes:4 Chunks of pineapple4 Pineapple juice4 Figs or fig preserves4 Cranberries crushed or dried4 Dijon Mustard or Spicy mustard4 Pickled, dried or fresh ginger4 White vermouth4 Brandy, Marsala, Port (or wine of any kind)4 Cherries, cherry juice, cherry preserves, dried cherries4 Cider Vinegar, Rice Wine Vinegar, Raspberry vinegar4 Orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, grape juice, grapefruit juice4 Prepared horseradish4 Worcestershire sauce4 Soy sauce4 Your favorite steak sauce4 Oyster or hoisen sauce4 Sugar in the raw, brown sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup, sweet jams and marmalades4 Any and all combination of spicesAs you can see, the variety of different turkey-ham glazes could even outnumber the family members and their opinions about ham. Of course, a couple more years of using the "crappy glaze" would mean the number of diners could dwindle to the point that it isn't an issue anymore. Wait a minute — this wasn't your plan all along, was it?

½ cup brown sugar5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar2 tablespoons honey3 tablespoons spicy Creole style mustard½ cup dry white wine2 tablespoons butter, dicedSalt and pepper to tasteAdd all ingredients except for the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Cook until the sugar has melted and the mixture is warm. Should you end up with a slightly runny glaze, you can always thicken it with a slurry. To make a slurry, mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Slowly whisk in as much as necessary to reach the consistency you want to achieve. Remove the glaze from the heat and add the butter. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.Put the ham in a baking pan and spread the glaze evenly over the surface of the meat. For a larger ham (between 2 and 4 pounds), you may want to score it by making diagonal cuts on the top in one direction, and then again in another direction to form diamonds. This will allow the glaze to penetrate the meat and for the ham to heat more quickly. Also you can add some chicken broth or water into the roasting pan so that when the glaze drips off it will not burn. Glazes are very strong by themselves, but glaze drippings mixed with broth create a tasty pan gravy to serve on the side.Bake the turkey ham in a low oven (no more than 325 degrees). This is a cooked ham, and you don't want the sugar to burn. Always remember that the more sweetener you use in your glaze, the lower the temperature should be. Should you have a smaller piece of meat (under 2 pounds) or a glaze that has less natural sugars in it, then you can go as high as 400 degrees.Bake, basting every 10-20 minutes, until the inside of the ham is warm. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the ham (make sure the center reaches 160 degrees on a meat thermometer). At this point, the glaze should be golden around the ham.