These festive ham recipes by Julie Le Clerc are guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser this Christmas. The quince and mustard glaze blends sweet, tart, and savoury flavours for a rich, caramelised finish, while the orange marmalade glaze delivers a bright, citrusy sweetness with a touch of warmth and spice for a perfectly tangy-sweet coating.
Makes glaze for 1 whole leg of ham, to serve up to 30. Use half this recipe to glaze a half ham, to serve up to 15.
7-9kg cooked leg of ham, on the bone
1 cup The Vine.co verjuice Gris Riesling or Wrights Chardonnay verjuice
Whole cloves, to stud (optional)
Quince and mustard glaze:
240g El Corazon quince paste, chopped
½ cup Gusto tart apple syrup
1 Tbsp Pons or Capirete sherry vinegar
3 Tbsp Accoceberry Espelette wholegrain mustard
Prepare the ham by following the first step of the method, opposite.
For the glaze, put quince paste, apple syrup, vinegar and mustard into a saucepan and set over medium heat. Stir until quince paste has melted and mixture comes to the boil. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Spread glaze thickly over the scored fat, to evenly cover.
Bake for 60 minutes (whole ham) or 45-60 minutes (half ham), basting at regular intervals until glaze has caramelised to a golden brown. Add a splash of water to the pan if the liquid dries out. Remove to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Classic orange marmalade glaze:
260g jar El Navarrico bitter orange marmalade
½ cup soft brown sugar
2 Tbsp Calogiuri fig vincotto
3 Tbsp Accoceberry Espelette wholegrain mustard
Preheat oven to 180°C, fanbake. Remove rind from the ham by running your thumb around the edge under the skin at the widest end and gently pulling it back over the shank. Discard the skin. With a sharp knife, score the fat in a diamond pattern about 5mm deep. Put the ham in a large oven pan and surround with verjuice. Press a clove into the centre of each diamond, if desired.
For the glaze, mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Spread glaze thickly over the scored fat, to evenly cover the ham.
Bake for 60 minutes (whole ham) or 45-60 minutes (half ham), basting at regular intervals until glaze has caramelised to a golden brown. Add a splash of water to the pan if the liquid dries out. Remove to rest for 10 minutes before slicing
Sliced ham can be served hot or cold, accompanied by Julie Le Clerc chutneys.
Note: To store ham for up to 2 weeks, cover sliced meat securely with a clean, damp tea towel or piece of muslin, rinsing the cloth every day to keep it moist. Place ham in the coldest part of the fridge. Do not cover with plastic wrap, as this will cause the ham to sweat and deteriorate more quickly. Ham can be frozen (for up to 3 months), wrapped in paper and then securely in foil, however some moisture will be lost on thawing.
Recipe by Julie Le Clerc
