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Maggie Beer's Glazed Ham with Figs
- Steps
- Ingredients
Steps
- Preheat fan-forced oven to 250°C or as high as your oven will go.
- Take the ham out of the fridge at least one hour, but up to two hours, before glazing. This makes it easier to remove the skin from the ham whilst bringing it to room temperature.
- Cut away the leathery skin from the top of the ham, taking care not to remove any fat from under the skin; you are after the maximum amount of fat available. Remember, a ham without fat is a ham without flavour.
- Mix sugar and Dijon mustard into a paste and brush it over the top and sides of the ham several times.
- Score fat quite deeply into a diamond pattern, taking care not to cut through to the meat – the diamonds should be about the size of the figs you are using to decorate the ham. Brush with glaze until you have used about half of it.
- Place ham in a roasting pan and bake, brushing with the glaze occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the fat starts to caramelise. Watch that the base of the pan doesn’t start to burn; add a little water to the pan if necessary as soon as the glaze starts to caramelise. Remove from oven.
- Carefully attach figs to the middle of the diamond with toothpicks. Brush the remaining glaze over the ham, taking care not to dislodge the glaze or figs. Bake the ham for another 15–20 minutes or until it is beautifully burnished, then leave to cool before carving and serving.
Notes
Tip: When buying your ham using a heritage breed such as Berkshire will give you a superior taste and texture. The sweetness of the fat is such a huge part of the flavour. Preferably speak to your supplier and let them know that you plan to glaze and cook the ham again so they can choose a ‘just-cooked’ ham rather than a ‘well-cooked’ one. Order in advance.
For further information on Maggie Beer, take a look at the following website: www.maggiebeer.com.au
