Christmas Glazed Ham

INGREDIENTS
2kg cured pork leg, soaked overnight
625ml (2½ cups) water
625ml (2½ cups) apple cider vinegar
bouquet garni
1 onion
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Cloves

Honey glaze
100g honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Juice and rind of 1 orange
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Cherry Chutney
500g cherries, pitted
½ cup currants
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup white vinegar or white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped

METHOD
Drain the cured pork leg, place it in a large saucepan, and cover with water, apple cider, bouquet garni, onion and peppercorns.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 1/4 hours.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the meat to cool in the stock for 1 hour.
Remove the pork leg and reserve some of the stock.
Score criss-cross lines in the rind of the pork leg, and press cloves into the grooves.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Honey glaze:
Place all ingredients into a saucepan, and cook until amalgamated.
Place the pork leg into a roasting pan, and coat evenly with the glaze using a pastry brush.
Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, basting with a little stock in regular intervals.
Serve hot or cold with cherry chutney.

Cherry Chutney (makes 3 cups):
Combine all ingredients in a large non-aluminum saucepan.
Stir over low heat without boiling until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to the boil and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally until thickened.
Pour into warm sterilized jars; seal when cold.
Keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge.

SERVINGS
8

COMMENTS
"Best ham ever!"

SOURCE
AWW website

Rich Fruit Cake

INGREDIENTS
250g currants
750g raisins
500g sultanas
250g dried apricots
250g glace pineapple
250g dates
250g pitted prunes
125g glace cherries
125g mixed peel
½ cup overproof rum or whiskey
½ cup brandy
500g butter
1 cup castor sugar
1 cup brown sugar
10 med eggs
4 cups plain flour
1 level tsp bicarb soda
1 level tsp ground cinnamon
½ level tsp ground nutmeg
½ cup ground almonds
1 tsp parisienne essence
125g blanched almonds chopped
2 to 3 Tbsp Cointreau

METHOD
Put currants, raisins, sultanas, cherries and peel in punch bowl.
Chop other fruit and add.
Pour over rum and brandy, mix through and leave for a few hours or overnight.
Prepare cake tins by lining with two layers of brown paper, then a layer of baking paper.
Cream butter and sugars in large mixing bowl.
Add 8 eggs one at a time.
Sift flour, soda and spices together, add almond meal.
Stir in parisienne essence and fruit.
Add 2 remaining eggs.
Mix thoroughly, may need to use two bowls for final mixing.
Bake in a slow oven at 150 C for 4 to 4 ½ hours for large cake, 3 to 3 ½ hours for smaller tins, but only 3 hours for smallest cake.
Test with skewer ½ hour before time is up.
Pour liqueur over cake when done and still in tin.
Remove when cold, taking off paper and wrapping in 2 layers of gladwrap and 1 of foil.
Leave for two weeks before cutting.
Best after 4-5 weeks.

SERVINGS
Serves 50 to 60 for anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas or weddings
Makes 1 X 25 -28cm cake or 2 X 20 -22cm cake or a 1 X 23cm cake plus a small 15cm cake for a two-tiered wedding cake

SOURCE
Mum

Christmas Morning Muffins

INGREDIENTS
2 cups plain flour
2 cups mixed fruit
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs

METHOD
Sift all dry ingredients then add in mixed fruit and sugar.
Stir in eggs, oil and buttermilk, but be careful not to overmix.
Place in well greased muffin tray (12).
Bake for 20 minutes at 180C with fan forced over of 190C without fan.

SERVINGS
12

COMMENTS
Delicious with brandy custard as mini Christmas puddings, or warm with egg nog for Christmas supper, or straight from the oven Christmas morning.

SOURCE
Wheel & Barrow catalogue

Glazed Ham

INGREDIENTS
1 cup blood orange juice (or regular orange juice)
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup honey
1 small leg of ham (about 7kg)
whole cloves to decorate

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180C.
Place juice, sugar, mustard and honey in a small saucepan over a medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glaze becomes syrupy.
Meanwhile, loosen one side of ham skin with a small, sharp knife, then ease your hand in between the skin and the fat and pull skin off.
Using the knife, make crisscross scores over the fat to create diamond shapes.
Insert a clove in the corners of each diamond.
Place ham in baking dish and pour glaze over.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden on top, basting ham with glaze from sides of dish every 10 minutes.
Remove ham from oven and allow to stand, uncovered, for at least 30 minutes before carving.

SERVINGS
6

COMMENTS
Everyone loved it!

SOURCE
Delicious mag

Traditional Christmas Roast Turkey

INGREDIENTS
Purchase turkey with self timer
Use a different stuffing each year
Defrost day before

METHOD
Place in large baking dish, stuffing with different stuffing each year.
Bake for 3-4hrs keeping eye on timer which will pop out of turkey skin.
Place vegetables in pan with turkey and use extra pan for additional vegetables.
When cooked make gravy from juices and serve with mango sauce.

SOURCE
Mum

Mango Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1 whole mango
1 tbs butter
1 onion
1 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp chicken stock
1 tbs corn flour
1/3 cup water
1 stick celery
2 tbs chopped walnuts or pecans
¼ cup sour cream or yogurt

METHOD
Puree mango in blender.
Cook onion in butter.
Combine with puree, lemon rind, lemon juice and stock.
Blend cornflour and water.
Add to mixture.
Cook till thickened.
Stir in celery, nuts and cream.

COMMENTS
Fabulous accompaniment to Christmas Roast Turkey!