Oh, how I love a Christmas glazed ham!? In fact, it’s one of my absolute favourite things about Christmas. And even though every summer I severely overdose on ham, I can’t help but get terribly excited at the end of each year knowing that this Nut Glazed ham isn’t far away!
Having said that, I’m more conscious of my health and what I eat these days (Cheezels & cheeseburgers excluded), so I tweaked my mum’s recipe, to came up with this version below. My Spiced Marmalade Nut Glazed Christmas ham. It really is insanely delicious you’ll find it hard to stop eating. It’s also a bit better for you since I swapped brown sugar for coconut sugar, plus has added turmeric.
INGREDIENTS
- 7-8kg leg ham, on the bone
- 1 cup good quality orange marmalade
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (firmly packed)
- 1 heaped tablespoon of quality Dijon mustard
- 1 x 100g macadamia nuts, chopped
- 1 x 100g pine nuts, chopped
- 1 x 100g slivered almonds, chopped
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon or all-spice
METHOD
- Preheat oven to 170°C. Place your oven rack in the lowest position and remove all the other racks.
- Use a small sharp knife to cut around the ham shank in a zigzag pattern, about 10cm from the end. Carefully run the knife under the rind, around the edge of the ham. Gently lift off the rind in one piece, by running your fingers between the rind and the fat. Pull back gently and it should come loose. Discard the rind.
- Now, lightly skim a bit of fat off the top of the ham. Too much fat and it won’t render down, but you don’t want to skim off too much as the fat helps keep the ham juicy and moist. You just want a very thin layer of fat.
- Add a small amount of water to a roasting pan. Place the ham on a wire rack in the pan.
- Combine the marmalade, coconut sugar, mustard and spices in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the marmalade melts. Brush the ham with 1/3 of the marmalade glaze to evenly coat. Bake in oven for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown.
- Add all the chopped nuts to the remaining marmalade glaze, heating gently over the stove for just a minute or two and stir until well to combine. Pull the ham out of the oven, spoon the nut marmalade mixture evenly over the top and sides of the ham, pressing the nuts firmly onto the ham to secure. Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until nuts are lightly toasted and golden. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest before carving.
- If you have any marmalade nut mixture left, you can place it on baking paper in the oven for approx 10-5 minutes to toast, then top the sliced ham with it. It is honestly SO delicious you will find it hard to stop eating!!
To keep ham moist in the fridge, cover with a damp tea towel or clean damp pillow case!
Merry Christmas!
