Christmas Ham with Spiced Cherry and Vermouth Glaze Recipe
Serves 10-12
Ingredients:
1 cup cherry jam
2 sticks cinnamon
2 star anise
1 tsp crushed peppercorns
4 bruised cardamom pods
1 whole dried chilli
¼ cup good quality smoky barbecue sauce
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1½ cups red vermouth
1 sprig bay leaves
1 cup cherries
1 x 6-7kg ham leg
Gremolata
2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves
1 cup tarragon leaves
½ cup chervil
1 small clove garlic
½ cup dried sour cherries, chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
Method:
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan forced). For the glaze, place the jam, cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns, cardamom, chilli, barbecue sauce, sugar, vermouth and bay leaves in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook for 10 minutes or until syrupy. Add the cherries and then cook for a further 5 minutes.
Lightly grease a large wire rack over a roasting pan lined with two layers of aluminium foil. Use a sharp knife to score the skin around the sides and hock of the ham, before using your fingers to gently remove the rind and score the fat. Wrap the ham hock in non-stick baking paper then aluminium foil.
Place the ham on the rack and pour over the glaze. Roast the ham for 40 minutes-1hour, brushing with glaze every 20 minutes, or until caramelised.
To make the gremolata, place the herbs and garlic in a small food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the cherries, shallot, lemon juice and mix to combine. Serve the ham with glaze and gremolata.
