Mandarin ham kabobs

 
                            Mandarin Ham Kabobs
 
 Recipe By     : The Big Beautiful Book of Hors d'Oeuvres by Julia Weinberg
 Serving Size  : 36   Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Appetizers                       Hors d'Oeuvres
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
    1      cup           butter
    4      slices        white bread -- 1/2" thick
    3      tablespoons   vinegar
      1/2  teaspoon      dry mustard
      1/4  teaspoon      ground ginger
      1/2  teaspoon      ground cloves
    3 1/2  tablespoons   orange marmalade
   36      cubes         cooked ham (1"x1"x1/2")
    2      small cans    mandarin orange sections -- well drained
                         cellophane-tipped toothpicks
 
 Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in a skillet.  Trim the crusts off the bread and
 fry the slices in the melted butter until they are light brown on both
 sides.  Drain them well on absorbent paper towels.
 
 Cut fried bread into 1-inch squares.  Each 4"x4" bread slice yields 9
 squares.
 
 To make the sauce, melt the remaining 1/2 cup butter in the same skillet.
 While the butter is melting, in a small mixing bowl, combine vinegar,
 mustard, ginger, cloves and orange marmalade.  Mix well and blend this
 mixture into the melted butter, stirring well.  Add the ham cubes to the
 sauce and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
 
 On a cellophane-tipped toothpick, skewer a mandarin orange section, a ham
 cube, another mandarin orange section and finally a fried bread cube.
 
 Serve while the meat is hot, or refrigerate the kabobs until party time and
 serve cold.
 
 Do-Ahead Note:  Assemble the kabobs complete with the mandarin orange
 garnish several hours before serving time and refrigerate.
 
 Serving suggestions:  Reserve any remaining sauce to be used as a dip with
 the kabobs.  This sauce is popular and goes quickly, so you may want to make
 extra.
 
 From The Big Beautiful Book of Hors d'Oeuvres by Julia Weinberg.  (New
 Century Publishers, Inc. 1980.  ISBN 0-8329-0196-2)
 MC formatted by cranew@foothill.net
 
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