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All Jammed Up! Creating Savory Tomato Jam From Heirlooms

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Use any variety of tomato for this jam
Use any variety of tomato for this jam – the riper, the better
Tomato jam on a slab of bread

Yes, yes, I know tomatoes and jam is an oxymoron, but when I spotted a  recipe for tomato jam that included chocolate, I was hooked. After all, I had tasted and enjoyed tomato sorbet which is another sweet treatment for my favorite garden edible, so I was willing to give jam a try.  To clinch the matter, the recipe called for 5 pounds of tomatoes which would put a dent in my accumulated stores on my kitchen counter.

Rainbow of heirlooms
A day of picking tomatoes
I love this “mushroom” type of tomato
Berkeley Tomato

The recipe that I found called for black brandywine tomatoes.  I did not grow that variety this year, so just used the various varieties that I had on hand.

The process of making tomato jam

An immersion blender is the easiest and fastest way to create a smooth consistency before you start to cook them in a dutch oven on the stovetop.  And it saves considerably on cleanup.  If you don’t have one, you could easily use a blender or food processor, but put an immersion blender on your Christmas list as it will make your cooking life sooo much easier.

The Recipe

 

Lay the cut edges down into the olive oil on a cookie sheet
Roast for about 45 minutes to an hour and throw everything including the juice into a dutch oven
After roasting, use an immersion blender to make it smooth
Cook for at least 2 hours to reduce the volume by half; It will be thick!
I didn’t have a block of bittersweet chocolate so threw in some chocolate chips
I made enough to fill 2 pint jars

I used my jam on freshly fried corn fritters and it was delicious! I want to try a big dollop on a brie wheel for the ultimate appetizer.

Tomato jam on corn fritters
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