Creole Christmas ham

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1.6 kg ham (juicy ham in one piece), cooked without rind
• 2 pineapples, fresh and ripe
• 1 pomegranate, for decoration and as a side dish
• some cloves
• 1 ginger root, fresh, finely chopped
• some honey (acacia honey)
• some cumin, ground
• some allspice, ground
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• some salt and pepper, from the mill
• some lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• some tomato paste
• some chili powder

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest period approx. 2 days; Total time approx. 2 days 45 minutes

Jambon Noel from the Caribbean

Pierce the top of the ham lengthwise and crosswise in a grid pattern with a knife and insert a clove into each cut. Make a “dry marinade” from the allspice, cumin, chopped ginger, and minced garlic and rub it liberally all over the ham. Vacuum-wrap the ham in a thick vacuum-sealed bag and let it marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Then, while still in the bag, heat the ham in hot, almost boiling water in a large pot. Meanwhile, peel and slice the two pineapples. Reserve the green parts for garnish. Butter a large roasting tin and place the pineapple slices in it as a bed, then drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice. Remove the hot ham from the bag, place it on top of the pineapple slices, and pour the juice from the bag over it. Place in a preheated oven (convection oven is not recommended) at approximately 180°C. Mix the cup of pineapple juice, tomato paste, chili powder, and acacia honey and glaze the ham. Briefly grill the ham in the oven until the glazed surface is nice and crispy. This takes about 10-20 minutes, or slightly less time with additional grilling. Decorate the ham with the pineapple tops and the halved pomegranate. Carve the ham in the ham at the table. A sweet potato and onion purée goes well with it. We enjoyed this Jambon Noel at Christmas time in Martinique, accompanied by the traditional Christmas punch, shrub.