Glazed Christmas Ham
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
The heavenly smell of a glazed leg of ham baking in the oven always fills me with Christmas cheer. Serve it warm or at room temperature, cut in generous slices and accompanied by a selection of mustards: Dijon, grain mustard, honey mustard, hot English mustard.
Ingredients
- pre-cooked ham 5Kg – 7Kg
- cloves
- bitter marmalade (such as cumquat, Seville orange or lime) 1 cup
- dark brown sugar 1/2 cup
- five spice powder 1 1/2 teaspoons
- Ginger wine or fresh orange juice approx 1/2 cup, plus extra for the pan
Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Carefully remove the rind from the ham – it should come off in one piece without tearing. Discard rind and score the fat into deep diagonal cuts to make a diamond pattern. Place a clove in the centre of each diamond. Place ham on a rack over a large baking tray and pour a little ginger wine or orange juice into the bottom. For the glaze: combine the marmalade, sugar, five spice powder, wine or orange juice in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally, then simmer 1-2 minutes. Brush glaze liberally over surface of ham. Bake ham for about 45 minutes, basting with more glaze every 10-15 minutes, until golden. Add more ginger wine or orange juice to the pan if evaporating too quickly and cover any parts of the ham with foil if beginning to colour too quickly. To carve ham, remove cloves. Steady the ham with a carving fork or regular dinner fork then use a long, thin carving knife to carve thin slices away from the bone, following the grain of the meat. Transfer slices to a platter. Continue slicing in the same manner, working around the bone, then turn ham over and repeat on the other side.