I know it’s still November and Christmas still seems a long way off but everyone has traditions and foods which make them feel ‘Christmassy’. For me it starts to feel real when I put my Christmas ham onto boil and even more so if I have a glass of mulled wine in hand! This Sunday I will be doing exactly this and officially kicking off ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕤 𝟚𝟘𝟙𝟡 in my household!🎅🏻
It’s taken me a few years to perfect this recipe; I now make it using a combination of 2 recipes...Nigella’s Coca Cola Ham and Mary Berry’s Maple Ham👩🍳
Why do I do this? I love the flavour that the Coca Cola gives the ham but I found the glaze to be a bit of a faff and not particularly appealing to my children. Mary Berry’s glaze however is simpler and I personally love the sweetness it gives to the ham once roasted in the oven.
If you’d like to give it a go and also get that Christmassy glow this weekend; here’s how...
Ingredients
2kg Gammon joint - unsmoked
1 onion, peeled & halved
2 litres of cola
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp English mustard powder
3 tbsp light muscovado sugar
Using a large casserole style saucepan, put the gammon in skin side down. Put the onion in and then cover with the coke.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cover and simmer for 2.5 hours.
Then remove the ham and let it cool...
Remove skin with a knife but leave a thin layer of fat, score the fat so you get lovely diamond shapes.
Put it into a roasting tin. Mix the maple syrup, mustard & muscovado sugar together and spread over the diamond shapes. Roast at 200 degrees for 10 mins or until it goes a lovely caramel colour.
It’s such a crowd pleaser in my house and I love how versatile it can be. Great cold in sandwiches or use it as a pie filling.
Just make sure that you get yourself a glass of mulled wine while cooking...it’s the rules!🍷
Love & food ❤️🍴