Healthy Glazed Christmas Ham
Sugar-free | Gluten-free | Dairy-free
Serves: 8-12 people
Cuisine: Bridget's Healthy Kitchen
Course: Lunch | Dinner
Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 50-60 minutes
Resting time: 20-30 minutes
During the festive season, ham is the centrepiece atop many tables worldwide. It's a tradition various countries have adopted over time, and although the preparation of the ham changes slightly from country to country and region to region, it's a meal that is synonymous with Christmas.
In my household, we would traditionally cook and eat glazed ham. Growing up, I absolutely loved the combination of sweet and salty. However, over time, I realised the amount of butter, brown sugar and honey that went into the glaze wasn't healthy for my gut. So, of course, I've created a glaze that's free from dairy, sugar and gluten.
My glaze is a beautiful alternative to the usual honey maple glaze. I also teach you how to remove the skin and score the ham to get those pretty diamond shapes you see in all the magazines.
You can find this recipe, plus many more delicious, healthy Christmas recipes in my popular eBook, Bridget's Healthy Christmas.
Hints, Tips & Tricks
I use a fully cooked ham on the bone in this recipe, and I suggest purchasing the best quality cooked ham that your money can buy. Make sure to check the ingredient label to ensure there are no nasty preservatives or nitrates.
I use my Sweet As Fibre Syrup as a refined sugar substitute in this recipe due to its natural sweetness. My fibre syrup is a low-calorie prebiotic fibre made from 100% pure chicory. Feel free to use your own fibre syrup, but read the labels. Many companies lace their syrups with malt extract and stevia to make them sweeter. If your fibre syrup isn't golden, it probably isn't 100% pure. Click here if you would like to purchase my Sweet As Fibre Syrup.
RECIPE
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsweetened green apple puree
- 8 tbsp low sodium tamari
- 6 tbsp Sweet as Fibre Syrup
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar-free Dijon mustard
- 4 star anise
- 1 medium-sized fully cooked Ham on the bone
- 30-40 whole cloves, optional
Method
- Preheat your oven to 160C (320F) and place the metal shelf on the lowest rack in the oven. Line a roasting tray with baking paper, add 5 CM or 2 inches of water to the bottom of the pan and place a wire cake cooling rack over the roasting tray.
- Into a pot, place the green apple puree, tamari, fibre syrup, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, star anise and bring it to the boil. Allow the mixture to bubble away for a couple of minutes, and then remove the pot from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes whilst you prepare the ham.
- Remove the ham's skin by running your finger under the skin to separate it from the fat. It will feel like you are removing a sleeve and should peel back quite easily.
- Once you've removed skin, lightly score the fat with a sharp knife into a traditional diamond pattern, triangles or squares. Watch the above video to see how.
- You can secure each diamond or square with a whole clove pushed into the fat for a very traditional touch if you like. Using a pastry brush, generously brush on the glaze and place the ham on the wire rack over the roasting tray and place it into the oven.
- Bake the ham for 50-60 minutes, glazing the ham every 10 minutes as it cooks. I baked mine for 50 minutes in total, so I glazed it five times, which helped develop a wonderful outside glaze.
- Remove the ham from the oven and allow the glazed Ham to rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing thinly and serving.
- Store any uneaten Ham wrapped in a slightly damp clean tea towel in the fridge for up to 1 week.