Christmas is weeks away so I’m already thinking about what I’m going to be cooking over the festive season. This year, I’m teaming up with Sydney’s Macquarie Centre to share my favourite entertaining recipes for Christmas. I have a few up my sleeve which are fan favourites whenever I make them, but they’re also really easy to make because I would definitely rather spend time with my nearest and dearest than spend ages in the kitchen cooking.
One dish I make which is a guaranteed winner with my family is honey glazed ham. It’s absolutely delicious and it’s so simple to cook! We’re kicking things off with this beauty because who can resist the sweet and savoury taste sensation of a baked ham at Christmas time. Plus it has a slightly retro vibe which makes it so very Insta-worthy too!
Total Cooking Time
Prep: 20 minutes
Cooking: 1.5 hours
Ingredients
1 FULL leg ham
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup Dijon
500ml honey
2 onions
To decorate:
pineapple rings
maraschino cherries
Directions
1. Preheat oven at 180c.
2. To prepare the ham, strip the skin off but leave the fat. Score the skin into diamond shapes.
2. Cut onions into thick rings and place in large roasting pan. Place ham on top
3. Smear Dijon mustard over the entire surface of the ham.
4. Pack brown sugar over the top firmly. Make sure all the fat is covered. (You may find that you need a little extra sugar to over the top depending on the size of your ham).
5. Drizzle all over with honey.
6. Pour water in the baking tray to cover the bottom of the pan.
7. Put the ham in the oven and bake for 30 minutes then baste with the juices. Keep basting every 30 minutes until golden brown and the top is starting to caramelise. This will take approximately 1.5 hours.
8. Once the ham is cooked transfer to a serving platter.
9. You can serve the ham as is or for a more decorative, and slightly retro feel decorate it with baked pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. To do this, brush the pineapple rings with ham glaze and bake in the oven on baking paper until golden brown.
10. Once pineapple is nice and golden, spread out on the surface of the ham, and put cherries in the centre of each ring. Secure with toothpicks.
11. Serve honey glazed ham at room temperature. Carve and enjoy!
This post was produced in collaboration with Macquarie Centre
Photography: Ashleigh Larden