Tis the most wonderful time of the year

20th Dec - Ham/Gammon Glazes

I'm about to head out on date night for the first time since being hospitalised at 31weeks with Theia. I'm very excited... My mother-in-law, who is staying with us for a month over Christmas, is going to look after Theia while we head out for some last minute, last night shopping, followed by a bite to eat and then the late showing of Rogue One - YAY!!!

But before I disappear out the door I thought I would share my recipe for glazed ham/gammon - again them are loads of these recipes on the internet. This is one I discovered a few years ago but didn't use - I'm using it this year. It's a plum and maple glaze Usually it’s a marmalade one but I fancy trying something slightly different.


The ingredients for this are simple:
cured/smoked gammon
2 onions, quartered
1 tbsp cloves
1 tbsp juniper berries
300g plum jam
250ml cup orange juice
3 tbsp maple syrup
Pinch chilli flakes
90g cloves
4 fresh bay leaves


Prep Work:
There is a little bit of prep work with a ham recipe but it’s worth it.
Place the gammon in a snug fitting pot and cover with water; add the onions, cloves, juniper berries, and bay leaves, and simmer for 15 minutes per 450g/1lb, after bringing to the boil.
Skim and discard any white froth that comes to the surface.
Take off the heat and let the gammon to cool in cooking liquid, then refrigerate overnight.


How to make:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4-5
Cook the gammon for 15 minutes per 450g
Add plum jam, orange juice, maple syrup, and chili flakes to a saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes until it thickens; make sure you stir frequently.
Remove the gammon from the oven and turn the oven up to 220°C.
Peel the skin off the gammon and discard, but leave a good layer of fat.
Score the fat with a sharp knife in a diamond/criss-cross pattern and stud the diamond shapes with whole cloves.
Brush the glaze over gammon, place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.


Tip:
If you are using ham rather than gammon soak in cold water overnight before cooking it to wash away any excess salt, or poach it in boiling water for half an hour in a deep-sided pot.
If you are only boiling or roasting your joint the time per cooking is 30 minutes per 450g plus 30 minutes. However, as this is a boil and bake recipe we are splitting the time.


Other glazes to try
Marmalade: mix the juice of 1 orange with 150 ml of rum and 3 tbsp marmalade, then pour over studded gammon/ham.
Apple and Maple: mix together 250ml of maple syrup, 50ml of apple juice, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of ground ginger, ½ tsp of ground cloves, and 2 tbsp of wholegrain mustard in a saucepan, then simmer to a sticky glaze.

Merry Blogmas,