’Tis the season to rule the roasts! Dust off those aprons, preheat your ovens and get ready to master this delicious whisky, maple & apricot glazed gammon recipe

Serves 6-8 

Prep ahead! Boil gammon 1-2 days before use and keep in the fridge, bring it to room temperature and glaze to roast for serving. 

Ingredients 

1 (about 2kg) boneless gammon
2L ginger beer or ginger ale 
3 cups water
1 onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
2 bulbs garlic, halved (flesh reserved)   

For the glaze  

¼ – ½ cup whisky (or sparkling grape juice) 
1 cup orange juice
¼ cup apricot jam 
2 Tbsp maple-flavoured syrup 
2 limes, zested and juiced  

Method 

1. Place gammon in a large pot with ginger beer or ale, water, onion, bay leaves and garlic, ensuring gammon is submerged in liquid. 
2. Simmer over medium heat for 80 minutes.
3. Discard cooking liquid, reserving the garlic. 
4. Cool gammon for about 20 minutes, then remove netting. 
5. Remove the dark red- brown skin covering the fat by gently pulling upwards. Discard once removed.
6. Score fat with a sharp knife in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not to cut all the way through into the meat.
7. Combine glaze ingredients in a pot over high heat, adding the flesh of the reserved garlic.
8. Boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat and simmer for another 8-10 minutes until glaze is sticky.
9. Place gammon on an oven tray lined with baking paper and brush with half the glaze.
10. Roast gammon at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, basting every 5-8 minutes until golden.  
11. Serve on a platter with leftover glaze and sides of your choice. 

Words: Gail Damon 

Photographs: Fresh Living Magazine 

Also read: 5 Christmas dishes from around the globe

The post Whisky, maple & apricot glazed gammon appeared first on MyKitchen.

Cocktails have been a favourite for quite a while, more specifically since the 1800s. According to legend, the world’s first cocktail was invented by apothecary owner Antoine Peychaud in New Orleans. He decided to name the cocktail after the drink’s main ingredient: Sazerac French brandy.

By Taryn Wilson

Today we have a much wider variety, ranging from the standard Long Island to the slightly more daring restaurant and bar signatures.

Although it may no longer be a favourite on the list, the Sazerac is perfect for those cool winter evenings. Are you ready to give it a try this weekend?

The Sazerac

INGREDIENTS
1-2 sugar cubes
2 dashes orange bitters
2 dashes aromatic bitters
59 ml whiskey
1-2 ice cubes
7 ml absinthe
Lemon zest, to garnish
2 rocks glasses

METHOD
1. Muddle sugar cubes, orange bitters and aromatic bitters in a rocks glass.
2. Add whiskey and stir gently. Add cubed ice and stir until chilled.
3. Add absinthe to a second chilled rocks glass and swirl to evenly coat glass.
4. Discard absinthe from second glass and pour in mixture from the first rocks glass.
5. Rim glass with lemon zest and serve.

The post How to make the world’s oldest cocktail – the Sazerac appeared first on MyKitchen.

This isn’t your average late-night snack! We’ve added a punch for an extra-flavoursome movie snack. Introducing our salted caramel whisky popcorn!

MAKES 8 cups // COOKING TIME 45 min

INGREDIENTS
½ cup melted butter
½ cup treacle sugar
¼ cup whisky
2 tsp sea salt flakes
8 cups popped popcorn

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 140°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Heat the butter and sugar in a pot over low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Remove from the heat and add the whisky and salt.
4. Pour syrup over the popcorn immediately and mix thoroughly. Transfer the popcorn to the tray.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, stir the popcorn, then bake for another 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving.

The post Salted caramel whisky popcorn appeared first on MyKitchen.

Enjoy the fruitful combination of these stunning flavours. And since botanicals are said to be huge in the food world this year, we put together these elderflower cocktails for you to enjoy this weekend.

SERVES 2 // COOKING TIME 5 min

INGREDIENTS
1 cup ice
2 cups peach juice
2 shots whisky
1 peach, sliced
2 lemon slices, optional
2 sprigs fresh mint
2 sprigs elderflower

METHOD
1. Divide the ice between two tumblers.
2. Add the peach juice and whisky, and mix.
3. Finish with peach and lemon slices. Use the mint and elderflower sprigs to stir.

TIP: If you want the flavours to really infuse, leave the elderflower and mint in the peach juice the night before.

The post Peach, mint & elderflower cocktails appeared first on MyKitchen.

If you fire these whisky-marinated beef strips up over the braai and serve them to your guests as a mouth-watering appetiser, there will be smiles all around! You can also add them to sandwiches, salads, rice pots, anything you desire.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 10 min, plus marinating time

INGREDIENTS
¼ cup whisky
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
500g beef strips

METHOD
1. Make a marinade by mixing all the ingredients, except for the beef.
2. Place the beef in a bowl and pour the marinade over. Place it in the fridge for 1–2 hours.
3. Heat a little oil over high heat and fry the beef for 2–3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside to rest for a few minutes before serving.

The post Whisky-marinated beef strips appeared first on MyKitchen.