Ham with Almond and Apricot Crust

Ingredients 

• Half a 100% NZ ham cooked on the bone
• Whole cloves (approx 1 tablespoon)
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots
• 100g blanched almonds halves
• 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1x beaten egg yolk

Method

Decide on how you want to serve the ham and how you want to cook it, then prepare your Nutty Crust and plaster it on the ham surface. Roast extra of the nutty coating alongside the ham and serve a spoonful with each slice.

This nutty crust is for a half a ham on the bone - or boned ham pieces - double the recipe if using a whole ham, or to have extra roasted nutty crust alongside.

Stud the ham with whole cloves. Mix together apricots, almonds, wholegrain mustard, honey and egg yolk and spread over the ham; or simply paste the mixed mustard and honey over the ham and them place on the almonds and wholed dried apricots (secured with half toothpicks)

Step 1

• Carefully remove the skin by running your clean fingers under the skin and peeling back to leave a smooth layer of fat.

Step 2

• If studding with cloves, cut this layer into a criss-cross pattern and secure whole cloves in each criss-cross corner.

Step 3

• Place the ham on a rack in a lined roasting pan (use baking paper or foil) and press on the nutty coating.
  To crust and serve cold - bake in oven at 180°C for 35 - 40 minutes, cool, cover and store in refrigerator until served.
  To crust and serve hot - bake on oven at 160°C, allowing 20 minutes per kilogram.
  To cook on the lidded BBQ - preheat BBQ to 200°C, place ham tray in centre of BBQ, cover with lid, allow BBQ to return to temperature (15 minutes), turn gas to low and cook for 1¾ hours or until hot through to bone.