Glazed Ham

A glazed ham is one of the easiest table centrepieces on a celebration table.

Whether you're celebrating a birthday, Christmas, or any special occasion it's sure to be a showstopper and feed a crowd. The best part is that glazing the ham is incredibly easy and looks amazing.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar (I used brown sugar, but any type of sugar will work)
• A quantity of whole cloves

Method:

• Score a zigzag pattern around the ham hock.
• Carefully remove the rind.
• Score the ham fat in lines approximately 2 cm apart, and only a few millimetres deep.
• Score in the opposite direction to create little diamond shapes. 
• Push one clove into every point where the score lines cross over.
• Sprinkle over some of the sugar in a even layer all over the fat.
• Put the ham into a roasting dish and add a little water in the bottom to cover the bottom of the tray.
• Bake in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 2 hours. 
• Check the ham every half hour, baste with the liquid in the bottom of the pan and add more sugar in the lighter patches. 
• Remove from the oven when warmed through and golden all over. 

Alternatives:

• Add walnuts to the glaze about 30 minutes before it's done.
• Toothpick rings of pineapple and glacé cherries onto the ham 20 minutes before cooking is complete. 
• Add some spices (like cinnamon) to the sugar before putting it onto the ham.
• Spread on a little wholegrain mustard before sprinkling on the sugar. 

Ideas To Serve:

• Cover the hock with tin foil.
• Spike onto a ham stand if you have one to use
• Tie a ribbon around the hock.
• Garnish with some fresh green herbs.