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Starters & Main Courses |
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| Recipe Archive > Starters & Main Courses > |
Scrumpy Jack Gammon Ham
with Caramelized Peaches
(Feeds 4)
This recipe is a reworking of the classic Ham and Pineapple. Adding the juices of a fresh pineapple was an early invention to soften the fibres of salted pork before the convenience of refrigeration. Here ripe halved peaches are poached in a light syrup made with Whitworths caster sugar until they become caramelized and sticky to make a delicious accompaniment to a home cooked gammon ham.
Serve hot or cold, cut into thin slices, young carrots, peas and buttered potatoes would be suitable for a hot joint, and salad ideal with the cold meat, (see sugar coated ham).
If you choose a larger ham for an Easter gathering, simply adjust the cooking time to the ham weight - as suggested in the recipe method.
Equipment & Ingredients
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1.25kg (2lb 12oz) piece of unsmoked
gammon ham |
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2 onions, finely chopped |
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5 fluoz (¼pt) Scrumpy Jack cider,
or medium cider |
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5 fluoz (¼pt) strong chicken stock |
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4 small waxy new potatoes, cooked until tender in boiling water, drained |
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2 tsps fresh sage leaves, or 2 or 3 twigs of
fresh thyme |
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2 - 3 ripe but firm peaches, halved and stoned |
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Method
Add the olive oil to a frying pan and fry the onions over a medium heat until golden.
Meanwhile put the the gammon joint in a medium sized pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer, uncovered allowing 25 minutes to the 1lb, plus 20 minutes extra (about 1 ½ hrs for the gammon joint weight suggested in the ingredients). Ensuring that the gammon remains covered with the water during cooking.
About 20 minutes before the end of cooking, pour off about half of the liquid and replace it with the cider and chicken stock followed by the onions, vegetables and herbs. Bring back to almost boiling point, then quickly reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave to cook for a further 20 - 25 minutes. Remove the gammon and keep warm under foil. Carry on cooking the remaining stock until reduced by half about a further 15 minutes. Return the gammon to the warm juices in the pan and keep warm under foil. Serve in thin slices with the caramelized peaches.
Some of the cider ham stock reheated can be poured into a jug and served alongside for guests to help themselves.
To caramelize the peaches. Melt the butter in a shallow frying pan and stir in the sugar and 2 tbls water. Poach the peach halves gently in the light syrup for 3 - 4 minutes on each side until the cut sides look lightly caramelized. Drain and keep warm.
Sugar Coated Gammon Ham Joint
This is suitable for a larger gammon joint (cooked as above) ideal for a larger gathering of family and friends for a cold buffet. You will require a domestic blow torch.
Equipment & Ingredients
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6 tbls Whitworths light brown soft sugar |
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2 tbls clear runny honey |
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Method
Mix all the ingredients together with enough water to make a stiff paste. Carefully remove the rind from the cooked gammon in a thin even piece with a very sharp knife. Score the fat in a checker-board pattern. Using a domestic blow torch, heat the fat all over with a moderate flame. Paint over about half the glaze and leave it to sink in. Add a second coating and caramelize it with a full flame of the blow torch until the edges or the cut fat looks slightly scorched and the rest of the ham looks richly glazed.
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