Mixed Berry & Cherry Glazed Christmas Ham
Cooking time: 2.5 hours
Serves: everyone!
Ingredients
- ½ leg ham, bone in
- 1 punnet blackberries
- 400g red grapes
- 400g cherries
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- ¼ bunch thyme
- 1 sprig bay leaves
- 2 cinnamon quills
- 2 star anise
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ¾ cup blueberry blackcurrant jam
- ½ tsp ground cloves
Method
1 - Preheat the oven to 160°C. Pit the cherries. In a large pot, add the cherries, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, jam, maple syrup, verjuice, cinnamon quills, star anise, 1 long rosemary sprig and 1 bay leaf. Stirring regularly, bring to the boil and reduce heat to medium low, simmer for approx. 40 mins until glaze has reduced by half. Reduce heat to lowest and keep warm.
2 - If you receive the hock end (pictured), remove ham from packaging and pat dry. Place on a chopping board and cut the skin around the hock as shown. Very carefully, start pulling the skin back away from the hock. Ensure you are pulling the skin only and leaving the fat on. If you receive the other end of the ham (butt end), remove skin completely. Once removed, score the top side of the ham from side to side in ½ cm intervals. Cut 2 of the rosemary sprigs into 2cm pieces then insert them into the scores on the ham as shown.
3 - In a baking tray lined with baking paper, place the ham. Brush the mustard on top of the ham (excluding hock) in between the rosemary. Sprinkle the ground cloves all over the ham.
4 - Drizzle ¼ of the glaze over the ham, including some of the fruit, then spread well. Bake in the oven for 30 mins. Remove from oven and glaze again with ⅓ of the remaining glaze and bake for a further 30 mins. Remove ham again, glaze with ½ of the remaining glaze and cook for a final 30 mins.
5 - Remove ham from the oven and place on a platter. Pour the juices from the baking tray into the glaze pot and mix through. With the remaining bay leaves, thyme and rosemary sprig, make a small bouquet using kitchen string for a garnish. If you have the hock end ham, tie this to the end.
6 - Place the remaining glaze in a bowl for serving. Place the cinnamon quills and star anise on top of the ham as a garnish. Carve the ham and serve with warm glaze. Consume within 48 hrs.
