Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Christmas Lunch

Christmas Ham

Ingredients:
  • 1 butt end smoked ham, about 7 pounds
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 cans crescent rolls
  • Egg wash


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the ham in a roasting pan and lightly score it with a sharp knife all around. Stir the mustard, marmalade and black pepper together in a small mixing bowl with a spoon. Slather the mustard mixture all over the outside of the ham, rubbing it into the scored meat. Bake the ham for 20 minutes then remove it from the oven.

Using 2 cans of crescent rolls, unroll the crescent dough but don't separate them into pieces. Press the perforated pieces together to keep the dough in its rectangular shape. Drape them over the ham pressing the dough edges together to cover the ham completely with the dough. Tuck any loose edges underneath the bottom of the ham in the roasting pan. Brush with egg wash.

Lay the last piece can of dough out on a cutting board and cut our some holiday shapes with cookie cutters. Holly leaves are nice. Arrange the dough leaves in a pretty bunch on the dough draped ham. Brush these shapes with egg wash.

Return the ham to the oven and bake for another 20 minutes until the ham is heated through and the crescent dough is cooked and browned.

Aromatic Spiced Ham

Ingredients:

For the ham:
  • 1 (4-pounds 15-ounce to 6-pounds 1-ounce) boneless mild-cure gammon
  • 8 3/4 fluid ounces (250ml) red wine
  • 5 pints 5 1/2 fluid ounces (3 liters) water (approximately)
  • 1 large onion, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
  • 1 head fennel, halved
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seed
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seed
  • 1 tablespoon mixed peppercorns

For the glaze:

  • Approximately 16 whole cloves
  • 4 tablespoons red currant jelly
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Directions

Place the gammon in a large saucepan. Add all the ingredients for the ham to the pan, adding more water if the ham isn't covered. Bring to the boil, before reducing the heat to a simmer and partially covering the pan. Cook for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, approximately 1 hour a kilo simmering time, plus an extra 15 minutes.

When you are ready to glaze the ham, preheat oven to 440 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Remove the ham from the liquid and sit the ham on a board. Strip off the rind, and a little of the fat layer if it's very thick, and cut a diamond pattern into the remaining fat with a sharp knife in lines of about 3/4-inch apart. Stud each diamond with a clove. Put the jelly, cinnamon, paprika and red wine vinegar into a saucepan and whisk together over a high heat bringing it to the boil. Let the pan bubble away so that the glaze reduces to a syrup-like consistency.

Place a layer of foil over a roasting tray big enough to hold the ham. Place the ham on top of the foil. Pour the glaze over the clove-studded ham and then transfer it to the oven. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the glazed fat is burnished. Allow the meat to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving it.

AddThis Social Bookmark Button

No comments: