with Executive Chef Rene Oskam from JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi

A traditional Christmas dish, let this honey-glazed ham decorated with aromatic herbs double as your Christmas table centrepiece before carving it into thick slices.

• Glaze

1 cup maple syrup                           1 cup brown sugar

4 tbsp mustard                                  1 tbsp ground cinnamon

¾ tsp allspice

- Whisk the ingredients together until smooth.

• For the ham

1 whole ham on the bone            2 fresh oranges, squeezed

Cloves

- Carefully remove the skin of the ham, leaving the fat intact.

- Score the fat with a small knife, making small squares.

- Put cloves in the corners.

- Place on a rack in the oven.

- Pour half of the glaze over the ham, spreading it out.

- Bake the ham at 160oC, glazing regularly.

Side dishes (2 portions)

• Maple glazed carrots

Baby carrots: 120 gr                           Olive oil: 1 tbsp                               

Garlic: 1 clove                                    Butter: 1 tbsp                                  

Maple syrup: 1 tbsp                        Salt & pepper

- Peel the baby carrots, leaving the green on.

- In a hot pan, roast the carrots with the garlic clove and salt and pepper in olive oil. When they are almost cooked, add the maple syrup.

• Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon

Brussels sprouts: 200 gr                      Bacon: 60 gr

Butter: 30 gr                                          Salt & pepper

- Clean the sprouts, removing the outer leaves. 

 - Cut the bacon into small pieces.

- Cook the bacon in a non-stick pan over a low heat.

- Add the sprouts, cook them until the outside is caramelised and the inside is still “al dente”. Add butter, toss, and season with salt and pepper.

• Roast pumpkin with cinnamon, black pepper, rosemary and honey

Pumpkin: 1                                     Rosemary: 20 gr (chopped)

Honey: 1 cup                                     Fresh black pepper                         

Sea salt                                                 Ground cinnamon

- Peel the pumpkin carefully and slice into wedges. Place the wedges in an oven-proof tray. Cook in a hot oven until they start to caramelise.

- Mix the remaining ingredients and glaze the pumpkin wedges with the mixture. Finish cooking in the oven.

• Herb roasted potatoes

Potatoes, peeled: 200 gr                                  Butter

Sea salt                                                 Olive oil

Rosemary, sage, and thyme

- Boil the potatoes in salted water until almost cooked. Remove them from the water.

- In a hot roasting tray, pour in some olive oil. Add the potatoes, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Place in a hot oven and finish cooking, tossing carefully every 5 minutes.

You can join the JW Culinary School for weekend cooking classes conducted by multi-talented chefs from JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi.

For details, visit https://portal.marriott.com/hanjw-dining/events/hanoi/jw-culinary-school-hanoi, or dial the hotline +84 24 3833 5588.