Recipe: Stephanie Feher’s Christmas Ham Won’t Make It Past Boxing Day

Stephanie Feher sure knows how to feed a crowd. The Lucky Dragon Supper Club author has a dedicated following for her dinner party spreads – and you’d better believe she has few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to Christmas entertaining.

Case in point: this show-stopping ham that her partner Carlos has been mastering for years. The secret? A sweet and tangy glaze made with lychees and cherry jam. “The lychees provide a delicate sweetness and slight acidity that cuts through the smoky richness of the ham. The cherries add depth and cheerful vibrancy,” Feher writes. “Together, they make the ham irresistibly glossy and caramelised.’

Though this isn’t your average Christmas ham, it should definitely be enjoyed as such. Carve it up hot or cold, and enjoy in sandwiches, salads or grazing platters bound for the beach. That’s if it makes it past Boxing Day. 

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Stephanie Feher’s lychee-glazed Christmas ham

Serves 8–10

Prep time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour to bring ham to room temperature

Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients

Half-leg smoked ham, rind on, bone in

Water, to line roasting pan

560g (1 tin) lychees in syrup½ cup (125ml) dry white wine

¼ cup (60g) Dijon mustard

¼ cup (60ml) apple cider vinegar

90g cherry jam

70g cranberry jelly 

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

150g soft brown sugar, lightly packed

60g unsalted butter, cubed

Cherries, to serve (optional)

Method

Remove ham from fridge and bring to room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 160°C and adjust your racks so the ham will sit in the centre.

Carefully remove rind from the ham, leaving the fat layer intact. Score fat in 2.5cm intervals without cutting into the meat.

Place ham in a roasting pan, using crumpled foil to support the leg bone so it sits level. Pour enough water into the pan to cover the base by 1cm–2cm.

Blend lychees and their syrup until smooth. Pour puree into a saucepan. Add wine, mustard, vinegar, cherry jam, cranberry jelly and pepper. Stir in sugar until dissolved.

Cook glaze over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until syrupy. Remove from heat and whisk in butter.

Brush ham generously with glaze. Reserve remaining glaze. Roast for 1.5 hours, brushing with glaze and pan juices every 20 minutes. Ensure the pan doesn’t dry out; add water as needed.

Remove ham once caramelised and internal temperature reaches 60°C. Rest for 15 minutes, brushing with pan juices.

Combine remaining glaze with pan juices in a saucepan. Thin with a little water if needed. Heat gently to blend.

Carve ham and serve with warm sauce and cherries.

Notes: 

Leftover ham freezes well for up to 3 months when sliced and portioned into freezer-safe bags or airtight containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Wrapped in its skin or stored in a ham bag, ham will keep refrigerated for 1 week.

Save the ham bone for flavouring soups, stocks or ramen.

This is an edited extract from Lucky Dragon Supper Club by Stephanie Feher. Published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99.

Want more Christmas cooking inspiration? Check out Broadsheet’s Christmas recipe collection.