Hamming up Christmas with Julie Goodwin

Coastie Masterchef Julie Goodwin knows how to create the perfect Christmas feast.

On Christmas day, her table is a smorgasbord of prawns, pineapple-glazed ham, shellfish-stuffed salmon and salads including caprese and potato.

Another tradition is reserved for Christmas Eve – a hot dinner with turkey, pork and all the trimmings.

Christmas lunch at Julie’s Place, Gosford

While food is important, Julie, who runs Gosford cooking school Julie’s Place, tells us her most treasured Christmas ritual is setting an extra chair at the table to remember the people who are no longer there and in honour of those who aren’t home for Christmas.

To bring some of her festive flair into your home this Christmas, here’s Julie Goodwin’s recipe for pineapple glazed ham.

Julie Goodwin’s Christmas ham

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

7kg leg of ham

1 1⁄2 cups pineapple juice

1⁄2 cup brown sugar

1⁄2 cup pineapple jam

1⁄4 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 160*C (140*C fan forced).
Carefully remove the rind from the ham, leaving a good layer of fat intact. Leave rind around the shank of the leg. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut all the way through to the meat of the fat will dislodge during cooking. Make a few deep incisions into the meat with a small sharp knife.
Combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, jam, mustard and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, and stir, boiling for around 15 minutes or until reduced to about 1 1/3 cups. The mixture will thicken as it cools and should have the consistency of a thick syrup. Be vigilant, as the mixture can bubble up to the brim of the pot. Allow to cool.
Baste the ham generously with the glaze, making sure that some gets into the deep incisions. Place the ham in a large baking dish and bake for 3 hours, basting with the marinade several times.
Enjoy!

Big thanks to Westinghouse who teamed up with Julie’s Place to share this delicious recipe.