crab apple and sloe jelly glazed ham
I stuck to my usual method for cooking my ham on Christmas Eve this year, boiling it in cider before baking in the oven. However, I used some of the crab apple and sloe jelly that I made earlier in the year as the basis for the glaze - and very pleased I was with the results.
For a 2.5 kilo ham, I used a quarter of a jar of jelly, two tablespoons of mustard powder (for the ham) and a tablespoon of allspice (for Christmas) with a glug of maple syrup, all melted together and used in place of the sugar and butter concoction of the original recipe. Tasty!
Served with a parsley sauce, mashed potato and peas this makes a great Christmas Eve preparation for the festivities to come.
I make my parsley sauce by adding a generous serving of chopped parsley (5 - 6 tablespoons) to my white sauce, prior to adding the milk to the roux, along with a tablespoon and mustard powder.
Cider Baked Ham
- 1kg (or larger, amend other quantities in proportion) Gammon Ham
- 1 litre Cider
- 1 litre Apple Juice or Water
- 1 Onion
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 8-12 Peppercorns
- 30g Butter
- 100g Muscovado sugar
- Spices - 1 Tsp Mustard powder, half Tsp each ground Cloves and ground Cinnamon (or substitute All Spice / 5 Spice)
- Enough to stud the Ham Cloves
Soak the Ham overnight in cold water to remove some of the saltyness.
Drain and place the ham in a large pan, cover with the cider, topped up with water. Add the onion, bay leaf and peppercorns.
Bring the ham to the boil, skim any scum off the surface of the water and simmer for 55 minutes per kg.
Preheat the oven to 220c/425f/Gas 7.
Remove the ham from the pan, remove the skin and score the underlying fat with a knife to form a diamond pattern.
Mix the butter, sugar and spices into a paste and spread over the scored fat.
Stud the diamond scored, butter covered fat with the cloves.
Roast the ham for 15-30 minutes until the fat is crisp and gold.
Remove from the oven, allow and rest and cool then enjoy.

Louise Cattrell said,
September 18, 2007 @ 12:18 pm
Looking on the net for respones to crabapples liked very much your recipe for Ham which will try.
My special thing is rowan jelly made without apple or pectin. This results in different
years are compltely dependent on where, and the weather make the rowan berries
bein terms of set.