Sure, roast turkey will always be a classic Christmas Day dish. But Skye Gyngell’s Marmalade Glazed Ham throws caution to the wind and tries something considerably more daring instead
Ingredients
For the ham:
• 1 leg of ham
• 5 carrots
• 4 leeks
• 10 juniper berries
• 15 peppercorns
• 5 fresh bay leaves
• Whole Cloves
• 5 tbsp marmalade (or any other good-quality jam or strong marmalade)
• 4tbsp Dijon mustard (or grainy, if you prefer)
Method
To make the ham:
1 Place the ham in a bucket, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 24 hours. This is done to take the saltiness out of it. Remove the ham and then place it in a deep stockpot.
2 Roughly chop the carrots, celery and leeks and add them to the pot. Then add the juniper berries, peppercorns and bay leaves. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. This can take up to one and a half hours. Turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for a further two hours.
For the glaze:
• 2 tbsp marmalade
• 3 tbsp soft brown sugar, such as muscovado
• Finely grated zest and juice of one orange
• 150ml/5oz white wine
• A handful of cloves
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (or grainy, if you prefer) – for serving
To make the glaze:
1 Simply mix the marmalade, sugar, orange juice and zest and wine together until you have a loose paste.
2 Remove the skin from the cooked ham, leaving as much fat on as possible, score it evenly all over, and stud each diamond shape with a clove. Using a pastry brush, brush half the glaze evenly over the outside of the ham. Place in a baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven. Roast for 10 minutes then brush the rest of the glaze on top. Cook for 20 minutes or until sticky, golden brown and slightly set.
3 Serve with grainy mustard or chutney. Skye likes to serve this with dauphinoise potatoes and pickled red cabbage.
Recipe courtesy of Skye Gyngell, owner of Spring restaurant & Culinary Director of Heckfield Place
