Christmas Recipes by Rosemary Shrager
15th December 2016
15th December 2016
It’s that time of year again; mulled wine, carol singing and plenty of Christmas shopping on the agenda. It’s also the perfect opportunity to indulge and tantalise your taste buds with some festive feasting!
In this week’s blog, we share two of Rosemary Shrager’s tried and tested mouth-watering recipes.
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without a classic whole roasted ham! This recipe is sure to be a hit with the family over the festive season.
Ingredients
6kg Gammon
2 onions
2 carrots
4 bay leaves
3 star anise
1 tbsp of black pepper corns
1 tbsp coriander seeds
Few sprigs of parsley
Few sticks of celery
For the glaze
Approx 150 cloves
450g soft dark brown sugar
300ml thick runny honey
1tbsp Dijon mustard
For the Cumberland Sauce
75g very finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons of malt vinegar
1 zest and juice of one lemon
1 zest and juice of one orange
220g redcurrant jelly
150g port
1 teaspoon of English Powdered mustard made up
1 dessert spoon of sugar
Method
Place the pork in a very large saucepan and cover with cold water.
Add to the cold water, 2 peeled onions, 4 sticks of celery, 3 star anise, 4 carrots, 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds and 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns and sprigs of parsley.
Bring up to the simmer and cook for 3 hours approximately. It’s best to allow 20 minutes per 500g. You can tell when the ham is cooked when the rind starts coming off easily.
Remove the ham from the saucepan and allow to rest for one hour. Remove all the rind while the ham is still warm, leaving as much fat on as possible.
Score the fat into diamond shapes by cutting long line one way then the other way. Put a clove into each diamond corner.
Mix 350g brown sugar, 200ml thick honey and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and use a pastry brush to spread the mixture all over the ham.
Bake in a pre-heated oven set at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes or until caramelised. You will need to baste the ham every ten minutes, to get a good colour.
Serve hot or cold with Cumberland Sauce.
For the Cumberland Sauce
Place all the ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for one hour approximately on a low heat until a sticky sauce is thickened and ready to go.
Gather together the necessary arsenal of dried fruit, booze and spice, and make your very own Christmas Pudding courtesy of Rosemary Shrager.
This dark, sticky, booze-soaked pudding marks the finale of Christmas Day, as evocative as the final verse of Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
Ingredients
2 large eggs
50ml rum
75ml fresh orange juice
Zest 1 lemon
100ml Madeira or apple juice
1 dessert spoon of treacle
80g self raising flour
110g shredded suet
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
50g ground almonds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ginger
200g soft dark brown sugar
100g coarsely grated apple
50g coarsely grated carrot
150g raisins chopped
150g currants
50g flaked almonds
125g sultanas
50g candied mixed peel
Un-salted butter for greasing
Pinch of salt
Method
Put the eggs, rum, orange juice, Madeira and treacle in a bowl and whisk together. Then put all the remaining ingredients in a very large bowl and stir well.
Add the egg mixture and stir once more. Cover with cling film and chill overnight.
The next day, place the chilled mixture into a buttered 1.2 litre pudding basin. Cover it and steam over a gentle heat for 6 hours.
Set aside until cold, then re-wrap the pudding in fresh greaseproof paper and foil.
Store in a cool place (not the fridge) for as long as possible (at least 2 weeks).
To serve, steam for a further 2 hours.
Learn more about Rosemary Shrager’s cookery classes at The Pantiles.