Mustard and redcurrant glazed ham with cherry compote

SERVES 16 PREP AND COOK TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES 300g jar redcurrant jelly ½ cup (125ml) tawny port 8kg leg ham 1⅓ cup (95g) hot English mustard ½ cup (110g) firmly packed brown sugar 1 medium (240g) orange 500g fresh cherries, pitted, left whole 1 Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). 2 Combine jelly and tawny port in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until jelly is melted. Simmer, uncovered, for about 8 minutes or until mixture is thickened slightly. Pour half the glaze into a small heatproof bowl. 3 Cut through the rind of the ham about 15cm from the hock end of the leg (a zigzag cut looks effective). To remove rind, run a small sharp knife under the rind around the wide end of the leg and each side of the ham if needed. Run thumb around edge of rind just under the skin. Start pulling rind from widest edge of ham (Step 3A, below); continue to pull rind carefully away from the fat up to the hock end. Remove rind completely. Score across the fat at 2cm intervals, cutting lightly through the surface of the fat (not the meat) in a diamond pattern (Step 3B). 4 Spread mustard all over ham (Step 4A) then sprinkle with sugar (Step 4B) and press on lightly. Place ham on a large wire rack in a large baking dish. Add 1-2 cups of water to the dish. Wrap the hock in foil. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the ham is browned. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Remove ham from the oven, brush ham with some of the glaze in the bowl (Step 5). Bake for a further 20-30 minutes or until well browned, brushing with remaining glaze in bowl halfway through cooking. 5 Meanwhile, remove rind from the orange with a zester. (Or, peel rind thinly from the orange using a vegetable peeler, avoiding the white pith. Cut the rind into long thin strips.) Squeeze the juice from the orange – you will need ¼ cup (60ml) for this recipe. Add juice to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in cherries, rind and glaze in saucepan; stir over medium heat until the mixture is hot. Remove from heat. Cool. 6 Serve ham with cherry compote.