Ingredients
• 8kg whole leg ham
• 500ml medium-dry sherry or apera
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 12 cardamom pods
• 6 cloves
• 1 piece nutmeg, cracked
• 8 fresh bay leaves
• 600g apricot and amaretto jam or apricot jam
• 2 cups whole blanched almonds, toasted
• Rosemary sprigs and bay leaves, to decorate, plus extra, to garnish
• Roast trussed cherry tomatoes, to garnish
• Fresh apricots, stoned, cut into wedges, to garnish
Method
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Preheat oven to 180°C. Using a small sharp knife, cut a zigzag around neck of ham, then use fingers to carefully pry away skin. Score a crisscross pattern into fat of ham, then put on a sheet of non-stick baking paper inside a large roasting pan.
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Put sherry or apera, spices and bay leaves in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Cook for 10 minutes or until reduced to 1⁄2 cup. Strain into a second saucepan, discarding herbs and spices. Add jam, mixing well to combine, and bring to a rapid boil over a high heat. Cook, stirring, until thickened.
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Brush a little of the hot jam mixture onto ham, then bake for 30 minutes. Baste ham again with a little more jam mixture, then bake for a further 30 minutes. Baste with remaining jam and bake for a final 30 minutes or until ham is glossy.
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Arrange one almond in centre of each crisscrossed square on ham fat. Finely chop remaining almonds and scatter over neck of ham. Transfer ham to a platter. Tie fresh rosemary and bay leaves around neck of ham to decorate. Serve platter garnished with roast tomatoes, apricot wedges and extra herbs.
