Thu, 24 November 2022
RECIPE
Serves 8 to 10
The 5 spice in the glaze for this ham gives it a little edge of flavour and marries so well with the pears and clementines.
Ingredients
For the ham
100% Irish Bord Bia Quality Assured Specially Selected Dry Cured Unsmoked Irish Half Horseshoe Ham, soaked overnight
2 Nature’s Pick Onions, peeled and halved
3 Nature’s Pick Medium Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Nature’s Pick Celery Stalks, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
6 cloves
8 Stonemill Black Peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
1 litre, Cullen’s Apple Cider
2 to 2½ litres water
For the glaze
100g The Pantry Soft Brown Sugar
2 tsp 5 spice powder
75ml Specially Selected Sherry
1 tbsp Bramwell’s Dijon Mustard
2 Nature’s Pick Oranges, zest only
To decorate & garnish
Cloves & star anise, to insert
5 to 6 medium Nature’s Pick Pears, sliced in half and cored or 3 large pears, sliced into quarters and cored
3 Nature’s Pick Clementines, halved
2 tbsp Kilkeely Butter
1 tbsp Grandessa Honey
Bay leaves, to garnish
Nature’s Pick Rosemary sprigs, to garnish
Method
Weigh the ham before you begin to cook. The cooking time for ham is 20 minutes for every 500g
Place all the ingredients for the ham into a large saucepan, add the ham and ensure there’s enough water to cover it
Bring to the boil and simmer according to the calculated cooking time. Keep topping up the water level and scoop the froth off the top
In the meantime, warm through all the ingredients for the glaze in a saucepan, ensuring the sugar has melted, then set aside
Carefully remove the ham from the liquid, and preheat the oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/gas 5
Lift the ham onto a large roasting pan. Cut away the skin leaving a thin even layer of fat. Score the layer of fat in a diamond pattern and spread some of the glaze over the top. Insert the cloves and star anise
Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes until golden. Keep an eye on the ham and spread more glaze after 10 minutes of roasting
When ready to serve, heat a frying pan to a medium heat, add the butter, honey and some oil. Place the pears and the clementines in the pan, all cut side down and brown lightly.
To serve, place the ham on the platter. Arrange the pears and clementines around the ham with bay leaves and rosemary.
Catherine’s Top Tips: Cover and allow the ham to “rest” for 20 minutes – this is important for easy carving. Use the stock / liquid to make a soup after the ham has poached in it.
