Try something different for this year’s Christmas dinner showpiece. This deliciously succulent gammon is scored to better allow the rich, festive blend of fruity calvados, sweet honey and strong mustard to seep into the meat. Get ahead with this Christmas dinner recipe and boil the gammon the day before, to save yourself time until you are ready to roast.
Calvados and Honey Glazed Ham with baked apples and parsnips recipe
Serves 6, 20 mins to prepare and 1 hour 20 mins to cook, plus resting
Ingredients
- 1·5kg (3lb) unsmoked gammon joint
- 1 x 2ltr bottle dry cider
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 2 celery sticks, chopped
- 6 black peppercorns
- 2 star anise
- 1 tbsp calvados
- 2 tbsp clear honey
- 2 tsp English mustard powder
For the apples and parsnips
- 2 large parsnips, quartered
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 Cox’s apples, cut into wedges
Method
Put the ham in a large pan. Pour over the cider and add the carrot, onion, bay leaves, celery, peppercorns and star anise. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hr. Remove and leave to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Put the parsnips in a large roasting tin and drizzle with most of the oil; season well. Roast for 20 mins.
Using a knife, remove the skin from the ham, leaving behind a 1cm (½in) layer of fat; score diamond shapes.In a bowl, mix the calvados, honey and mustard powder to a paste, then spread most of it over the ham (reserving a little for the parsnips and apples).
Add the gammon and apples to the roasting tin. Drizzle the apples and parsnips with the remaining oil and reserved honey paste; season. Roast for 20 mins, basting once or twice, until golden on top. Remove and leave to rest for 10 mins before serving.
