Baked Glazed Ham

Many people find it unnecessary to glaze a ham, but nothing looks more appetising I think.
It looks so festive on the table and doesn't take long at all.
Go the extra mile and do it, you will be very happy with the result.
Buy yourself one of those foil baking dishes, so no excuse about the washing up.
It takes 1 1/2  hour to create the centrepiece of your dining table, with the turkey of course.


My favourite Glaze

Cooked ham

1 cup pineapple or orange Juice
1/4 cup sherry
500 grams brown sugar
 prepared hot english or dijon mustard
cherries, cloves or orange slices


Turn oven to 160 C.

Strip the ham of the skin. You can slide your hands under an end and remove the whole skin quite easily. Just slowly lift it from the fat. If you do it with a knife you will have uneven fat left and it doesn't look as nice.
Rub the fat with the mustard.
Lightly score the fat into a diamond shape.
Stand the ham in the foil dish. You can prop it up with skewers to raise it slightly from the bottom
if you can be bothered. This helps the glaze to run further around the underneath of the ham.
Put the juice, sherry and sugar in a saucepan on the stovetop and simmer until the sugar is melted .
Pour around the ham and cook for 30 minutes on the second bottom shelf. Then begin basting every 20 minutes. Turn the ham around in the oven to brown evenly.
Remove and score again if needed and decorate with cherries cloves or orange. Skim the fat from the sauce and serve drizzled over the cut ham.


This second glaze isn't as sweet you can taste the stout and its spicier.

1 1/2 cups stout
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cardamon

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan on top of the stove and simmer until sugar has melted.
Proceed with the same method as above.

Asian Style Salad of Red Cabbage, Asparagus, Capsicum with Mango

We have had so many humid days with wild storms, followed my even greater humidity. Crazy shopping days and lots of festive Xmas get togethers.
You don't tend to want to eat much, when you have a night off, and certainly it needs to be light and fresh, for me.
This salad is just that and is beautiful served over chicken breast, veal or pork cutlets or yummy just by itself.
Would be lovely with left over turkey on boxing day. You could use nectarine instead of mango
The dressing really adds to the flavour.


1/4 red cabbage finely shredded
1/4 white cabbage finely shredded
1 red capsicum finely sliced
bunch of asparagus steamed and cut into 4
1 cucumber peeled and seeded
1 mango peeled and cut into large dice
spring onions aprrox 6 chopped finely
cashews 120 grams roasted
1cup chopped  parsley
1/2  cup coriander
1/2 cup chopped mint

Dressing

2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown if you don't have this
2 tablespoons lime juice

You may add a small diced chilli if you would like it hot.

All the ingredients go into a saucepan on the top of the stove. Stir and heat until the sugar is melted.
Set aside.
Mix the red and white cabbage together with the asparagus, capsicum and cucumber. Toss half the parsley and coriander through.
All the ingredients for the salad can be prepared ahead and plated up and dressed at the time of serving.
When ready to plate pile the ingredients together that  you have prepared and lastly cover with the roasted nuts, mango and the remaining chopped herbs.
Spoon the dressing over making sure you get some on the meat if serving it on top. Delicious!

Quinoa, Rice and Coconut Salad

I just love the sweetness of this salad. Black quinoa is slightly bitter with an earthy sort of taste but takes on a totally different dimension with the dressing and coconut. It is substantial enough to have on its own, well, maybe if you are female or not feeling very hungry. It can be made well ahead and I feel it is better to do this as the grains have more time to absorb the flavours. You can play around with the ingredients. Add more nuts, toast them or use less coconut, add some sultanas or cranberries.
I had no time to photograph the dish. It was eaten in a flash !

2 cups black Quinoa
2 cups brown rice
1 cup shredded coconut
3 carrots finely shredded
1 cup slivered almonds
grated rind of an orange
1 cup finely chopped parsley
2 cup finely chopped spring onion

Dressing

1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup sherry vinegar or you can use mirin



The quinoa needs to be soaked for 15 mins just covered in water. If you have a rice cooker use that to cook it, otherwise I cook it in the microwave uncovered for 10-15 mins. The water ratio should be 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/2 cups water. Set aside to cool.
Cook the brown rice and set aside to cool.
The carrots I shred in a food processor to quite fine.

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix. Add the dressing and serve.