# Thomasina Miers’ Sunday lunch of glazed ham hock with harissa lentils and praline sundae – recipes

You can prep the sugar- and mustard-crusted ham hock with braised spicy lentils and the obscenely delicious praline-speckled ice-cream sundae well in advance, leaving you free to go about your Sunday ritual.

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## Ingredients for the Ham Hock Recipe
- **1.4kg** smoked ham hock, skin peeled off
- **1 onion**, peeled
- **440ml** cider
- **1 tsp black peppercorns**
- **120g** dijon mustard, plus extra to serve
- **3-4 tbsp** soft dark brown sugar

### For the Lentils
- **3 tbsp** olive oil, plus extra to finish
- **1 medium onion**, peeled and diced
- **2 carrots**, peeled and diced
- **2 celery sticks**, finely diced
- **Salt and black pepper**
- **2** **garlic cloves**, peeled and finely chopped
- **2 bay leaves**
- **1 tbsp** harissa
- **400g** green lentils
- **1 large handful** fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- **Juice and grated zest** of ½ **lemon**

### To Serve
- **Creme fraiche**
- **Steamed greens or a crisp salad** to serve

## How to Prepare
1. **Prep** **15 min**
2. **Cook** **2 hr 40 min**
3. **Serves** **4-5**

### Ham Hock Preparation
- **1.4kg** smoked ham hock, skin peeled off
- **1 onion**, peeled
- **440ml** cider
- **1 tsp black peppercorns**
- **120g** dijon mustard, plus extra to serve
- **3-4 tbsp** soft dark brown sugar

For the lentils:
- **3 tbsp** olive oil, plus extra to finish
- **1 medium onion**, peeled and diced
- **2 carrots**, peeled and diced
- **2 celery sticks**, finely diced
- **Salt and black pepper**
- **2 garlic cloves**, peeled and finely chopped
- **2 bay leaves**
- **1 tbsp harissa**
- **400g** green lentils
- **1 large handful** fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- **Juice and grated zest** of ½ **lemon**

1. **Preheat** the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Spoon enough mustard over the hock to cover it generously, then pat the sugar all over it, too. Reserve 500ml of the braising liquid for the lentils, then pour enough of the remaining liquid into the dish around, but not touching, the ham, to fill it by several inches. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until the meat is caramelised on the outside and tender and falling apart underneath. Turn off the oven, cover the meat with foil and leave in the oven with the door ajar to keep warm.

2. **Reserve the braising liquid** and transfer the ham to a rack in a roasting dish.

3. **Heat the oven** to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Spoon enough mustard over the hock to cover it generously, then pat the sugar all over it, too. Reserve 500ml of the braising liquid for the lentils, then pour enough of the remaining liquid into the dish around, but not touching, the ham, to fill it by several inches. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until the meat is caramelised on the outside and tender and falling apart underneath. Turn off the oven, cover the meat with foil and leave in the oven with the door ajar to keep warm.

4. **Transfer the ham** to a rack in a roasting dish.

5. **Cook** the hock for 90 minutes, turning down the heat to a simmer and allowing it to cook gently.

6. **Drain** the ham and remove any excess salt from it.

7. **Drain the ham** and reserve the braising liquid.

## For the Lentils
- **3 tbsp** olive oil, plus extra to finish
- **1 medium onion**, peeled and diced
- **2 carrots**, peeled and diced
- **2 celery sticks**, finely diced
- **Salt and black pepper**
- **2 garlic cloves**, peeled and finely chopped
- **2 bay leaves**
- **1 tbsp harissa**
- **400g green lentils**
- **1 large handful fresh parsley**, roughly chopped
- **Juice and grated zest** of ½ **lemon**

1. **Roast** the lentils in a saucepan over a high heat, then turn down the heat to medium, pour in the olive oil, and saute the onion, carrots, and celery for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.
2. **Season** with salt and pepper, then stir in the garlic and bay leaves, and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the harissa and lentils, stir for another minute, then pour in the reserved braising liquid and 500ml of water, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a low simmer and cook, covered, for 25-30 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
4. They should be brothy; if they look dry, loosen with a few more ladles of the ham cooking water. Season with salt and pepper, some lemon juice, and a few tablespoons of olive oil, then stir in most of the parsley.

1. **Freeze** the lentils in a suitable container (stirring every half an hour, for about two hours, until it starts to thicken).
2. Stir in the reserved 140g praline and freeze again, stirring every half-hour, for another two hours-plus, until set.
3. (If you have an ice-cream machine, simply churn the custard with the praline until set.)

## To Serve
- Ladle the lentils into bowls and lay slices of the ham to one side of them.
- Spoon over some creme fraiche and a dollop of mustard, then scatter over the remaining parsley and a little lemon zest.
- Season with lots of black pepper and serve with steamed greens or a crisp salad.

## Toasted Pecan Praline Sundae
- **Toasted pecans** seasoned with burnt, salty sugar transform vanilla-scented ice-cream into a crazily good pudding.

### Preparation
- **Prep** **5 min**
- **Cook** **50**
- **Freeze** **4 hr+**
- **Serves** **8-10**

### Ingredients for the Pecan Praline Sundae
- **360ml** whole milk
- **360ml** double cream
- **1 tsp** vanilla extract, or 1 vanilla pod, split
- **5 large egg yolks**
- **40g** golden caster sugar
- **¼** **tsp** salt
- **200g** condensed milk

### For the Pecan Praline
- **200g** pecans
- **100g** golden caster sugar
- **½** **tsp fine sea salt**

1. **Warm** the milk, cream, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy, then pour in the warm milk, whisking as you do so. Pour the mix back into the saucepan.

2. **Wash the egg yolk bowl**, tip in the condensed milk, and set aside. Put the custard pan back on a medium heat and cook, stirring regularly, until it thickens to the consistency of double cream and coats the back of the spoon. (You can raise the heat to speed up the process, but keep stirring and be careful that the mix doesn’t curdle.)
   - Brush the custard with the remaining condensed milk, then pop in the fridge to cool.

3. **Heat the oven** to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Scatter the pecans over a baking tray and toast for 12-14 minutes, until golden.
   - Line a second tray with silicon or baking paper.

4. **Preheat** the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 4. Meanwhile, put the sugar, salt, and two tablespoons of water in a small saucepan over a medium-high heat and swirl to melt the sugar. Once the sugar has melted, let it simmer while swirling the pan to distribute the darkening patches. Once the caramel is smelling deliciously toasted and is an even dark brown, pour it over the lined tray and leave somewhere cool to set for about 10 minutes. Once set, tip into a food processor and blitz to breadcrumbs. Weigh out 140g and put the rest in a serving bowl.

5. **Freeze the custard** in suitable container, stirring every half an hour, for about two hours, until it starts to thicken, then stir in the reserved 140g praline and freeze again, stirring every half-hour, for another two hours-plus, until set.
   - (If you have an ice-cream machine, simply churn the custard with the praline until set.)

6. **Serve the ice-cream** in small bowls topped with a sprinkling of extra praline, with the rest in a bowl at the table. Hot chocolate sauce is always a good extra, too.
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