Maple Glazed Gammon & Spiced Pears

Prep time: 2 hrs | Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

For the Gammon:

• 1.5kg unsmoked gammon joint

• 1 onion, halved (120g)

• 2 carrots, roughly chopped (150g)

• 2 bay leaves

• 6 black peppercorns

• 500g water

• 500g apple juice

• 20-30 cloves

For the Maple Glaze:

• 60g maple syrup

• 20g Dijon mustard

• 20g soft brown sugar

• 5g apple cider vinegar

• 2g sea salt

• 1g freshly ground black pepper

For the Spiced Pears:

• 3 firm pears (450g), peeled, halved and cored

• 200g water

• 100g maple syrup

• 20g lemon juice

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 star anise

• 2g ground ginger

Method:

1. Place the gammon in a large pot with the onion, carrots, bay leaves, peppercorns, water and apple juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

2. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Lift the gammon from the pot and allow to cool slightly. Remove the rind, leaving a good layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and stud with cloves.

3. Whisk together all the glaze ingredients until smooth, then brush generously over the gammon.

4. Roast for 25–30 minutes, brushing with the glaze halfway through until glossy and caramelised.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the spiced pears: place water, maple syrup, lemon juice, cinnamon, star anise and ginger in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and add the pears.

6. Cook for 5 minutes until tender but still holding shape. Remove the spices.

7. Serve thick slices of gammon with the warm spiced pears and a drizzle of the poaching syrup.

Storage:

Store leftover gammon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Spiced pears will keep for 3 days and are beautiful served cold or gently warmed.