Lets face it. Cooking a feast on Christmas Day can be stressful and nobody wants to muck it up.
So how do you create one of those mouth-watering hams that you see in food magazines?
We spoke to chef, and Slow Food Hunter Valley leader, Amorelle Dempster to help you deliver the feast of your life.
So whats her secret? It involves cloves, raspberries, the finest wine you can afford and choosing a ham that will fit in the oven.
Our encounter starts with a nine kilogram ham in the kitchen at Readers Cafe and Larder. Ms Dempster takes a really sharp knife and runs it around the base of the ham to separate the skin from the fat. Then she peels back the skin, removes it, and uses the tip of the knife to score the fat.
Watch the video:
I do it just over two centimetres apart, go across on one side and then do the other its nice to have it even, it adds a bit of finesse to the finished product, she said.
Now you need to add the cloves at each open intersection; it’s a junction where the flavour will permeate the meat and you will get that lovely spiced Christmas clove flavour
Cover the area in a nice even pattern so each of those bits of fat will go a lovely golden brown and give it a lovely shape.
She puts the skin underneath the ham to help protect it during cooking and then makes the raspberry glaze.
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Heres the recipe ..
Pop it on the stove for 10 minutes until it starts to bubble and become a syrup.
Remember not to leave it because it tends to bubble up, so watch it and keep it safe and give it a quick stir, Ms Dempster said.
Now its time to paint the ham, or put the glaze in the fridge and do it just before you put it in the oven.
Its a lovely glossy glaze and the raspberry seed through it is a nice effect, she said.
Start painting it at the bottom and then work your way over the ham.
How to cook the ham:
Keep basting it as often as you like after the 60 minute mark if you want a really dark coloured glaze, Ms Dempster said.
