Cloves??

I've been looking up recipies for traditional christmas foods coz i'm hosting christmas for the first time this year. I want to make a glazed ham, but all the recipies keep telling me to put whole cloves... but cloves of what? (sorry this may be a really silly question but i just have no idea)... are they garlic cloves? pepper? It's driving me nuts, and i've searched all different sites and getting the same thing... just whole cloves...

If anyone has any idea what I should be using, that would be AWESOME - really don't want to stuff this up!!

cloves are a spice.  You buy them in a jar in the spice aisle.

They are about 1.5 cm long and you just stick them in your ham.

Cloves are very aromatic dried flower buds.  Black/brown in colour, rounded at one end and sharpish at the other.  They are quite strongly flavoured - think cough-drops -  so you don't need many. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove

When you've cooked a ham, strip off the rind and leave a layer of fat.  Score the fat into big diamond shapes, poking a clove in where the lines intersect.  Mix up some mustard and brown sugar (or other glaze of choice) smear it over the whole thing and bake briefly in a hot oven to caramelise the glaze.

A nice way to use the whole cloves (after you're done cooking with them) is to put them in a small shallow pan with a cinnamon stick, and maybe an orange peel.  Add enough water to cover the items, and put it on the stove over very low heat.  Voila!  Instant cheap holiday air freshner.  Just keep an eye on the water level and add more when it starts drying out, otherwise you'll end up with a burnt holiday smell in the air! 

Thanks so much!!! I feel so silly now, lol...

You guys amaze me, emer13, where on earth did you come up with that idea??? It's fantastic....

Thanks again

Cloves are a wonderful spice and are underused in my opinion...

I made the most amazing fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving (if you want the recipe let me know) and as a twist to the recipe I added 1/2 tsp of ground cloves and it added a really great taste and aroma.

Yes Pease! I'd love the recipe... hope this all turns out well coz now my in laws are invited too... scary!!!

If you've got guests coming it always helps if you've made a dish before.   Then you can relax and enjoy the company - which is why everyone's there, after all.  I've had a few times in the past where I've launched into a brand new recipe on the day and wished I'd practiced it in advance! 

CRANBERRY SAUCE

2 bags fresh cranberries (pick through and rinse)

1c fresh squeezed orange juice

zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 lemon

3 Tbs frsh squeezed lemon juice

1/2c Grande Marnier (or other orange liquor)

1/2c brown sugar and 1/2c white sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp ground ginger (or 1tsp fresh grated ginger root)

Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to full boil until cranberries begin to pop. Then lower heat to medium/low and simmer, stiring frequently until sauce thickens. Cool and refrigerate overnight to allow flavors to marry.

Just beware - cloves are a VERY strongly-flavoured spice so use them sparingly. If the recipe says 1/2 tsp, don't think that a whole one would be better. Put too much cloves in a recipe and that's all you can taste...