Christmas Ham With Sticky Ginger Glaze Food

CHRISTMAS HAM WITH STICKY GINGER GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 160C/ conventional 180C/gas 4. Weigh the ham and calculate the cooking time at 25 minutes per 500g. Scatter the onion, ginger, thyme and cloves over the base of a large, deep roasting tin. Put the soaked ham on top and add water to 3-5cm deep. Cover the whole ham and tin with two or three layers of foil (making a tent over the ham to allow the steam to circulate), sealing the foil around the edges of the tin. Bake for 1½ hours, then reduce the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3 for the remaining 2 hours 40 minutes of the cooking time. When the ham is cooked, remove it from the oven. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
• Now make the glaze. Put the sugar and 100ml/3½⁄2fl oz water in a medium pan. Heat gently until the sugar melts, add the fresh ginger and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the kumquats and cook for a few more minutes, just until they soften. Scoop out and reserve the kumquats, discard the ginger and add the stem ginger strips. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and let the mixture bubble for 3-5 minutes until thick and reduced by just under half. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Line a clean roasting tin with foil and oil it. Unwrap the ham and put it in the foil-lined tin. Cut off the skin, leaving a layer of fat all over. Using a sharp knife, score the fat into a diamond criss-cross pattern. Turn up the oven to fan 200C/conventional 220C/gas 7.
• Rub ground ginger over ham, then brush over all but a couple of spoonfuls of the glaze, distributing stem ginger strips. Scatter over kumquat slices, studding cloves through some to secure. Drizzle over remaining glaze. Roast for another 20 minutes or until golden and sticky and kumquats start to colour. Serve garnished with halved kumquats and sprigs of bay leaves. If serving hot, allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.

THE BEST HAM GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Let the ham sit at room temperature for 30 minutes and trim off any skin. If your ham is not a spiral-cut ham, use a sharp paring knife to score through the fat in a diagonal crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat.
• Place the ham, flat side down, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Pour 1 cup water into the pan. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham registers 130 degrees F, about 2 hours 30 minutes (about 15 minutes per pound-reduce the time to 10 minutes per pound for a spiral-cut ham).
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the brown sugar, maple syrup, soy sauce, orange zest and juice, Dijon, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, onion powder and a few grinds of black pepper in a medium saucepan until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the glaze has thickened and reduced by half (you should have 1 cup glaze), 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside until the ham is ready.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Brush half of the glaze over the ham. If the water in the bottom of the pan has evaporated, add 1 cup water. Return the ham to the oven and roast for 30 minutes, brushing with the remaining glaze every 10 minutes (two more times) before returning to the oven.
• Let the ham cool for 15 minutes before thinly slicing.

STICKY GINGER-GLAZED HAM HOCKS

Steps:

• Put the ham hocks in a large saucepan with the star anise, peppercorns, bay and orange slices, then pour over the ginger beer. If there's not quite enough liquid to cover the hocks, top up with water until they are submerged. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat so only a few bubbles break the surface now and then. Partially cover with a lid, bring to the boil and cook for 1 hr 30 mins, topping up with water to keep the hocks submerged as needed. When ready, the meat should feel tender but should not fall away from the bone.
• Remove the ham hocks from the stock to a board using tongs and leave until cool enough to handle. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Combine the mustard, sugar, allspice, stem ginger and ginger syrup in a bowl.
• When the hocks have cooled slightly, use a sharp knife to cut away the skin, leaving a layer of fat. Put the ham hocks on a tray lined with foil and bake for 30 mins until the fat starts to crisp.
• Remove the ham hocks from the oven and brush over half of the spiced ginger glaze. Return to the oven for another 20-30 mins, then brush with more glaze every 10 mins until the ham hocks have a thick, sticky crust and the meat is tender. Serve warm or leave to go cold and eat with gherkins or slaw, bread and mustard. Will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days or frozen for three months.

SLOW-COOKER HAM WITH STICKY GINGER GLAZE

Steps:

• Put the onion and 10 cloves in the base of the slow cooker then nestle in the gammon joint. Pour over the ginger beer then cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours until the gammon is tender, but still holding its shape. You can cool then chill the gammon at this stage if you prefer.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Carefully remove the skin from the gammon leaving a layer of fat behind. Score the fat in a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, making sure you don't cut into the meat, then stud the centre of each diamond with cloves.
• Mix the mustard and ginger preserve in a bowl, spoon or brush over the gammon then bake for 20 mins until golden and sticky. If roasting from cold you will need to add another 20 mins to the cooking time.

SPICED GINGER-GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Put the gammon in a large pan and cover with 2 litres of ginger ale. Top up with water to cover the joint, if you need to. Add the whole allspice berries and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, and simmer gently, covered, for 2½ hrs. Top up with water, if you need to, while it's simmering.
• Drain the ham and leave until it's cool enough to handle while you make the glaze. Put the remaining ginger ale in a pan with the sugar, grated ginger and crushed allspice. Simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 mins until syrupy.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Remove the skin from the ham, leaving a layer of fat, then score the fat in a criss-cross pattern. Transfer the ham to a foil-lined roasting tin, and brush over half the glaze. Roast for 15 mins, then glaze with the remaining syrup. Increase the temperature to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and roast for a further 15-20 mins until you get a sticky golden crust. Leave to cool for 15 mins before carving. Drizzle over more glaze from the tin to serve, if you like. Can be made ahead and chilled for up to four days.