RECIPE: Star Anise & Sarsaparilla-glazed Ham
The combination of flavours is a revelation. Everyone will be hard pressed to pick the ingredients.
RECIPE: Star Anise & Sarsaparilla-glazed Ham Serves 12-16 with leftovers.
6-8kg ham
1.25 litre sarsaparilla
2 whole star anise
1 stick cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp five spice powder
Preheat oven to 160C. Carefully remove the skin from the ham leaving a thick layer of fat on the leg.
Place the ham in a big baking tray and pour over the sarsaparilla then the whole spices. Cover with foil and bake for two hours. Basting after one hour. Remove from the oven and turn heat up to 180C.
Tip off the liquid, reserving enough to add to the sugar and ground spices to make a thick paste. Score the ham lightly if you wish and coat with a third of the paste.
Place in the oven and after 10 minutes place another third of the paste on the ham. Repeat after 10 another minutes and bake a further 15-20 minutes or until the glaze is bubbling and caramelised.
Remove and serve immediately or cover and place in the fridge overnight.
