Rum and Cherry Glazed Ham with Pickled Cherries

METHOD

1. Pickled Cherries - Place the sugar, vinegar, water, and spices in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the cherries and simmer for a further minute, remove from heat. Remove the cinnamon quill and star anise from the pickled cherries, pour the mixture into a sterilised jar and seal with a lid. Keep in the fridge until ready to use. The pickled cherries will keep for 2 months or so.

2. Glazing the Ham - Mix the rum, brown sugar and cherry pickling liquid together to form a slurry. Set aside until ready to use. Remove the skin from the ham and score the fat in a diamond pattern. Rub the Dijon mustard all over and stud with the cloves. Heat the oven to160°C. Place the ham in a roasting dish and cook for half an hour. Spoon the glaze all over the ham and cook for another 45 - 60 minutes or until the glaze is nicely caramelized. Keep spooning the glaze over the ham every 20 minutes, adding some water if the glaze gets too thick

3. Serve the glazed ham with the pickled cherries. Makes enough for 1⁄2 - 1 leg of ham