Christmas Bonus

I’m not prone to spontaneous outbursts of emotion, but on this occasion I’m prepared to make an exception. A couple of weeks ago we welcomed a perfect addition to our family, just in time for Christmas. She’s gorgeous. So fragile, and I was so nervous about transporting her for the first time. I didn’t imagine she could be made more exquisite, but the addition of a ribbon proved me wrong. On first sight I wept with joy, and here are the first shots:

Slightly smaller than usual, but nonetheless perfect. Just the right amount of fat, a precise angle of the score, a lovely hue on the glaze – I really couldn’t have hoped for more. So perfect, she almost threatened to overshadow the arrival of  Abigail, daughter number three in the household. Everyone’s smitten.

By some miracle Mum and Dad arrived a day before the birth (of Abigail, not the ham) having made possibly the most indirect journey in the world, driving from Kangaroo Island to Pt Lincoln to visit my sister Pip and her family and then on to Sydney. The first leg of the journey requires a complete circumnavigation of the vaguely horse shoe-shaped Spencer Gulf; the distance being some 752 km by road, or one quarter of the distance by boat, should one be in possession of such a vessel. 

After pre-Christmassing and recuperating in Pt Lincoln, they arrived in Sydney following a pit stop in Broken Hill for some genealogy. My Great Grandfather John Souter was mayor of Broken Hill - quite some distance from Perth, Scotland where he was born in 1871. History does not record if he retained the kilt for ceremonial occasions in one of the hottest places on earth.

But enough of the tedious lineage. More importantly, I’ve been doing a version of my beloved glazed ham for years. It's lineage is less clear than my own, but I do recall a scrap of paper - I think originating from a  Gourmet Traveller circa 1995 - which was possibly the original source. The scrap of paper is ancient history, and this recipe's no doubt morphed over the years (the result of an annual Chinese whispers of memory I’ve been playing with my self for a decade and a half), but the underlying principles remain strong. The principles being –  procure ham, remove skin, score, rub in sugar, stud with cloves, bake, add marmalade glaze, bake again, add more glaze, secretly consume warm fat pieces, present for Christmas, then continue eating ham until the following year.

The process is fail-safe and was my sole culinary contribution to Christmas Day this year. With other events threatening to disrupt my usual preparation, I entrusted management of the day to my younger sister Penny. We had a tremendous lunch, commencing with oysters, prawn cocktails, and then scallops topped with a bit of tarragon and garlic butter and allowed the most minor flirtation with the barbecue.

Penny also put together this magnificently refreshing beverage with lemonade and mineral water which kept the girls happy.

My brother in law Sam procured a magnificent turkey from what I know as the old pie shop on Birrell St Bondi Junction. The groaning bird was accompanied by potatoes roasted in goose fat, a selection of vegetables and the ham. And with the same certainty that Christmas rolls around, so too will Dad be sure to question on at least one occasion on December 26 as to why we do not consumer this divine manifestation of porcine inspiration on other days of the year - which I've been known to do and recommend highly. It's an easy one when called upon to feed scavenging hordes on mass. If, like me, you will be picnicing on Australia Day then this is ideal. Do this, and you'll start to appreciate my apprehension about transporting such a valuable bundle of joy. It's simple, here's how to do it.

Christmas Glazed Ham for 365 Days of the Year

5kg leg of ham (bone in)
2 cups of brown sugar (the soft stuff)
cloves

Glaze
1 jar of breakfast marmalade approx 4-500g
3 bay leaves
2/3s of a cup of red wine or port
1 thumbnail-size piece of ginger, finely sliced
optional for glaze
2 cinnamon sticks
5 star anise
zest of half a lemon

1) Select a ham with the bone in. It should be at least 5 kg or it will be a visual disappointment. Ideally select a ham with a layer of fat at least 5mm thick under the skin - this allows a good quality score.

2) This is the only tricky bit: looking at the cut end of the ham, take a knife with a rounded end (like a butter knife) and work the knife gently between the skin and  the fat. The idea is to take the skin off, leaving as much fat as possible. As it comes away, gently work down with your fingers and/or the knife and progressively work the skin off - but it is crucial to leave as much fat as possible.

3) As you get down toward the bone end, take a sharp knife and make a jagged incision through the skin just above where the bone meets meat so that the whole skin will come off like a flap and leaves a series of connected mountain-like points over the bone. Retain the skin for storage purposes. The finished, cooked part of the jagged points will look something like this:

4) All the skin should be off, leaving a layer of white fat. Using a sharp knife, gently score the fat across the whole ham in long parallel lines about 1-2mm deep and 1 inch apart. Next, score long parallel lines diagonally across the first lines to create diamond shapes.

5) Preheat the oven to 180C. Place all other ingredients except the sugar and cloves into a small saucepan and bring to a steady bubble over medium heat so the glaze thickens and gradually becomes syrupy.

6) Gently rub the sugar over the fat until it is covered in a light layer. This will bring out the diamond shapes and you can now stud one clove into the centre of each diamond.

7) Put the ham on a baking tray and place in the oven for 15 minutes until skin is slightly browned and caramelised.

8) The glaze should now be bubbling. Using a large spoon or ladle, carefully spoon half to two-thirds of the glaze over the scored part of the ham. Leave the remaining glaze off the heat.

9) Place the ham back in the oven and put a tray of warm water underneath, or next to, the tray containing the ham.

10) After 15 minutes, turn the ham to prevent the glaze from burning. Put the remaining glaze back on a low heat.

11). After another 15 -20 minutes, remove the ham from the oven. The remaining glaze on the stove top will now be quiet thick. Spoon or pour this over the ham for a final glazing.

The ham can now be eaten warm. If it is not to be consumed immediately, allow the glaze to cool,  place the skin back over the ham and then place a damp, clean cloth or ham bag over the top of this. Place in the fridge until you are ready to buckle it up and drive it off to your picnic or yuletide celebration.