Ham with honey & lavender plums

Posted by petra08 on August 10, 2018 · 6 Comments 

This summer has been nothing but amazing. The Beast from the East, the bad weather prolonged winter and it sometimes felt as if I was never going to be really warm again. We had to wait for summer but since it arrived it has been fantastic, sunny, hot and it has been possible to plan a barbecue in advance!

The hot weather meant lots of salads and quick foods. The thought of cooking made me sweat so everything has been kept simple. I have missed my comfort foods and when the butcher had a gammon ham I couldn’t resist it. The greengrocer had lovely plums and that was it, it was time to cook something that would take a little longer than five minutes.

 

I walked home with my purchases and I walked past a neighbours house where the bees were busy on the lavender flowers. I thought lavender would go with the ham and plums.

 

 

I picked some sorrel and nasturtium leaves from the garden for flavour. The garden and the allotment is like having your very own larder, right there with fresh produce to pick and eat straight away.

 

I read a recipe from the Eleven Madison Park cookbook, one of the most intriguing cookbooks I have ever read. I have only skimmed the content and it is so inspirational. In the cook book is a sorrel and nasturtium sauce. I had never thought of using sorrel and nasturtium together. I didn’t have all of the ingredients that was in the original recipe so I decided to use them to flavour a mayonnaise to go with the ham.

 

Ham with honeyed plums with lavender

preparation time 5 minutes 

cooking time 30 mins/1lbs/450 gr + 20 mins for glazing + 20 minutes for resting

oven 220C or 428F

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1.3 kg or 45 oz ham
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 3 bayleaves
• 2 star anise
• 1 garlic bulb, cut in half – when cooked set aside and use it in the mayonnaise
• 1 punnet of plums
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 10 lavender flowers

…………………………………………………………………………………………………….Place the ham in a pan and cover with cold water. Add the garlic, coriander seeds, star anise and the bay leaves. Place a lid on top and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil turn the heat down to a simmer. Let the ham, in this case, simmer for 75 minutes and skim throughout the cooking.

Once the ham is cooked take it out of the water and place in an ovenproof dish.

Take the stone out of the plums and peel them. Place the plums on top of the ham. Drizzle with honey and add 5 of the lavender flowers.

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Glaze in the oven for 20 minutes and let the ham rest for 20 or more minutes.

 

Nasturtium and Sorrel Mayonnaise 

preparation time10 minutes 

cooking time 0 minutes

serves 4

Ingredients

• 5 sorrel leaves
• 5 nasturtium leaves
• 1 small handful of flatleaf parsley
• 1 bulb of garlic, boiled soft
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp French mustard
• rapeseed oil, about 1 dl or 1/2 cup
• 1 pinch of sea salt

Give the herbs a rough chop and place in a blender with a little oil and the cooked, peeled garlic. Blend until you have a puree.

Place the egg yolk, vinegar and mustard in a bowl and whisk them together. Add the oil, a little at the time and whisk until the mayonnaise starts to thicken. Add the nasturtium and sorrel puree, taste with sea salt and set aside until you are ready to serve.

I grated beetroot and boiled some new potatoes and some sweetcorn to go with the ham. The plums with honey and lavender and the sorrel and nasturtium mayonnaise worked well together with the ham and the flavours were very light and worked together so well.

 

 

It was a treat to tuck in to some comfort food with added flavours of summer.

I am bringing this to Angie’s Fiesta Friday, this week she is joined by Debanita, Canvassed Recipes –  check out her amazing Crispy Chilli Honey Potato recipe, it makes me hungry just thinking about it! The second co host is the lovely Julianna, Foodie On Board, I am pretty much in love with every single of her recipes and wonder if she has room for me at her table!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under Allotment/Veg, Beetroot, Egg, Fruit, Garlic, Herbs, Main course, Meat, Plum, Pork, Potatoes, Recipe · Tagged with Cooked Ham, Gammon Joint, Ham with plums honey and lavender, Honey and Lavender, Lavender, nasturtium, Sorrel and Nasturtium Mayonnaise