Festive Glazed Ham With Saint Agur Blue Cheese Sauce
This is a real show-stopper of a dish, perfect for a special occasion. It makes a magnificent centrepiece to a dinner table or buffet.
The Saint Agur blue cheese and parsley sauce balances beautifully the sweet, spiced crust of the ham. Milder and creamier than traditional blue cheeses, Saint Agur makes a perfect culinary ingredient.
Bringing two French greats together, Saint Agur has partnered with renowned two Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc to create a selection of delicious recipes.
Raymond Blanc says, “I truly enjoy Saint Agur for its taste, texture and versatility. Not enough people know just how versatile Saint Agur can be in the kitchen, so I was thrilled to be asked to create a selection of festive recipes.”
Preparation Time: 40min
Cooking Time: 3hr 15min
Serves: 8-10
For the ham:
- 2.5kg ham, boned and rolled
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
- ½ stick celery, roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig parsley stalks
- ¼ bulb garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 4ltr boiling water
For the glaze:
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1tsp ground coriander
- ¼tsp ground cloves
- ½tsp black pepper, finely ground
- 80g clear honey
- 40g Demerara sugar
For the Saint Agur and parsley sauce:
- 25g butter, unsalted
- 25g plain flour
- 250ml whole milk
- 100g Saint Agur blue cheese
- Bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
To cook the ham:
- Preheat the oven to 150°C. In a large, deep roasting tray, place the ham on top of all the chopped vegetables and herbs.
- Place in the oven, then carefully pour the boiling water in to the roasting tray and loosely cover with tin foil. Cook for 2.5 hours.
- Carefully remove from the oven and place the ham onto a clean tray to cool slightly. Strain the cooking liquor and leave this to cool before storing in the fridge or freezer as stock for other dishes such as risottos, soups or stews.
- After about 10min the ham should be cool enough to handle. Carefully remove the skin and discard. Ensure you leave as much fat as you can on the ham as this will help to give you a lovely crust, plus the fat is where all the flavour is!
To glaze the ham:
- Using a pastry brush (or the back of a spoon), lightly brush the mustard all over the ham including underneath.
- In a small bowl, mix together the spices and sprinkle all over the ham, then drizzle the ham with the honey and finally sprinkle with the Demerara sugar.
- Place the ham back in the oven for 40min, making sure you baste halfway through, until golden all over.
For the Saint Agur and parsley sauce:
- While the ham is caramelising, melt the butter in a medium saucepan on a high heat, stir in the flour and cook gently for 1min, stirring all the time.
- Remove from the heat, add all the milk and whisk until the butter and flour have evenly dispersed. Place the pan back on the heat and bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2min.
- Take off the heat, whisk in the Saint Agur blue cheese and chopped parsley and place in a sauce boat ready to serve with the ham.
To serve:
Once the ham has caramelised, remove from the oven, carve and serve with the Saint Agur blue cheese and parsley sauce.
