Pear, cinnamon & clove caramel glazed ham

Christmas heralds the time for Christmas ham to make an appearance on our festive tables. This glazed ham recipe offers a twist on the traditional glazed ham – it’s flavoured with pear, cinnamon and cloves and will liven up your Christmas feast. First you start by creating the ham glaze. Then you remove the rind of the ham and decorate with cloves. Then it’s time to apply the glaze to the ham. Next, you roast the ham, not forgetting to apply more glaze halfway through the cooking time. You end up with a Christmas ham the family will rave about.
Serve with an array of salads, such as the tasty heirloom tomato salad with grilled zucchini mozzarella or watercress, broad bean and prosciutto salad. Then follow up with a show-stopping dessert such as a traditional spiced stollen that’s shaped like a wreath or an eton mess cheesecake. Delicious!

Ingredients

1½ cups pear juice

1/2 cup brown sugar

100g Maggie Beer Spiced Pear Paste

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

2 sticks cinnamon

2 tbsp cloves

8kg leg ham (see tip)

Method

1.

Put juice, sugar, paste, vinegar, cinnamon sticks and 1 teaspoon of cloves into a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until paste has dissolved. Bring to the boil. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until thickened. Allow to cool slightly or make the day before.

2.

Preheat oven to 160°C. Make a cut around the shank of the ham about 8cm in from the end. Cut around rind at the widest end. Insert fingers under rind and rub across ham between rind and fat, peeling back rind until you reach the shank. Remove rind and rub across ham between rind and fat, peeling back rind until you reach the shank. Remove rind and discard.

3.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, score fat in 3cm-wide diagonal slices across the top of the ham. Pour a 1cm layer of water in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the ham on a rack in the roasting pan. Push remaining cloves into top of ham along rows in a decorative pattern. Brush of the glaze over the top. Cover shank with foil.

4.

Roast for 1 hour, brushing with more of the glaze after 30 minutes. Increase temperature to 180°C. Brush with more glaze and pour more water in the bottom of the pan if it has evaporated. Cook for a further 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Stand for 15 minutes before carving. Serve carved ham with any leftover glaze or pan juices spooned over.

TIP: We chose Otway Pork ham. To find your nearest stockist, visit otwaypork.com.au

Serve carved ham with any leftover glaze or pan juices spooned over. Photography: Cath Muscat | Styling: Rhianne Contreras

This article originally appeared on Home Beautiful and is republished here with permission.