A traditional Swedish glaze for Christmas ham
Swedes normally finish their ham with a mustard crust. At its simplest, mustard and egg yolks are mixed together and brushed over the cooked ham which is then sprinkled with breadcrumbs and baked in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes. I prefer to add some syrup as I think it improves the flavour, but that can omitted if desired, in which case the cornflour (cornstarch) should also be omitted.
Ingredients
The ingredients below should be sufficient for ham of up to 2 kg (4 lb). If you are cooking a larger joint you will need to double the ingredients in order to have enough glaze.
| 2 tbsp | Dijon mustard |
| 1 tbsp | English mustard, or other strong mustard |
| 1 | egg yolk |
| 1 tbsp | golden syrup (corn syrup) |
| 1 tsp | cornflour (cornstarch) |
| 2-3 tbsp | fine dried breadcrumbs, preferably including some rye* |
| 1 tbsp | cloves, optional |
Breadcrumbs
*I normally use breadcrumbs from a packet, but if you want to make your own, preheat the oven to 130°C (250°F, gas ½, fan 120°C). Remove the crusts from a couple of thick slices of white and a couple of thick slices of rye bread. Tear the bread into 2 cm (1″) chunks. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until you have very fine crumbs. Spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Bake until they are completely dry and starting to turn golden (but not burnt), about 20 – 30 minutes. During this time, stir the breadcrumbs often so that they dry evenly.
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas 6, fan 180°C).
2. If you are using a ham that you have boiled yourself, wait until it is cold enough to handle, remove the rind and most of the fat underneath, but leave a thin layer. Score a diamond pattern in the layer of fat left.
3. Mix the mustards, egg yolk, syrup and cornflour (cornstarch) and spread over the ham.
4. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the glaze, stud with cloves (optional) and roast for 10-15 minutes until a nice golden colour.
5. Remove the ham to somewhere cold, such as outside or a cold garage, so that the ham cools as quickly as possible trapping in all the moisture so that you end up with a lovely juicy ham.