Ham with clove & raisin sauce

Ingredients

3lb Cured Ham / Gamon joint

Basic Glaze
3tbsp sugar
2tsp mustard powder
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 handful raisins
20 cloves
1 lemon

Alternative (Honey) Glaze
200g demerara sugar
25ml sherry vinegar
100ml Madeira wine
250g honey

Method

1. Place the ham in cold water and bring up to a slow boil – cooking for 30mins per pound, minus 30 mins overall. Once complete, remove the ham and place in a roasting dish, reserving the water / stock for future use. If present, remove the skin from the ham whilst leaving a reasonable layer of fat. Score the residual fat as a lattice.

Basic Glaze
2. Mix the sugar, mustard and balsamc vinegar together to form a glaise and spread this over the top (fat layer) of the ham; subsequently push a clove to the corners / cuts of the latticed fat layer. Doing it this way around makes it much easier to spread the sugary glaise!

3. Return the ham to the oven for 10 – 15 mins. You’ll probably notice the sugary mixture starting to drip / burn on the base of the roasting dish, so add a ladel or two of ham stock (to the roasting dish) and stur in. Return to the oven for a further 15 – 20 mins, taking care that the sauce doesn’t dry out by adding more stock as necessary.

4. Add a handful of raisins to the sauce and return to the oven for a couple of mins. Remove and rest. In the meanwhile, transfer the juices / sauce to a warmed gravy boat, prior to serving.

Alternative (Honey) Glaze
2. Put the sugar, vinegar and maderia in a pan and bring to boil. Add the honey, bring to a boil and remove from the heat.

3. Pour half of the glaze over the fat of the ham, roast for 15 mins, then pour over the rest and return to the oven for another 35 mins, basting with the pan juices 3-4 times as it bakes. Turn the pan around a few times during cooking, so the fat colours evenly, and keep basting. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 mins before carving. This can be roasted on the day or up to 2 days ahead and served cold.