Throughout my childhood in Nutley, New Jersey, holiday meals--and even summer picnics--often included a delicious smoked ham. My father would take special trips into Manhattan to Mr. Kurowycky's shop on the Lower East Side, which specialized in Eastern European-style cured meats. When Dad returned home, we?d score the ham, brush on a thick layer of brown sugar, and bake it in the oven.

I've made many of my own trips to Kurowycky's until very recently, when the store closed. As for the ham?s preparation, I tinkered with the family recipe, incorporating different spices and sweeteners to create my own glaze. In this version, the spice from the yellow mustard and fennel seeds balances the brown sugar and molasses, while the fresh bay leaves wrapped around the shank bone add an ornamental and flavorful finish. --Martha Stewart

See the recipes for Glazed Ham and Mrs. Kostyra's Babkas in the Fall into Cooking store.