Fine Cooking (August/September 2014)
When we had Margie & Co. over for dinner earlier this summer, she showed up with a whole little goodie bag of food treats: eggs and produce from her own farm, some cured meats, a couple nice cheeses, and some lovely pickles and preserves.
One of the things she pulled out of her bag of tricks was a small jar of homemade tomato jam. "Actually," she said, "don't ever fool with tomato jam. It's not worth it. It just tastes like sugar."
Margie's cautionary words were ringing in our ears when we decided to try Fine Cooking's recipe for Summer Tomato Jam. We wanted to see for ourselves whether tomato jam would be a good way to make use of the abundant tomatoes in our area right now. So we went to the farmers market, bought a bunch of tomato "seconds" (you know, the ones that are slightly damaged or overripe) for about a buck a pound, and got to work.
"Work" is actually kind of a relative term: This recipe is incredibly easy. You don't even have to peel the tomatoes! Literally, the process of this recipe is essentially as follows: "Put everything in a pot. Heat it up. Keep doing that until it's jam."
A couple nights later, we tasted it.
Boston chef Barbara Lynch is the source for this recipe; here's what she says about it in Fine Cooking:
This Summer Tomato Jam is so good that I'll eat it with a spoon right out of the jar while waiting for my bread to toast in the morning. It's great on burgers in place of ketchup or served alongside grilled lamb or salmon. It also pairs exceptionally well with cheeses and cured meats. My spicy version complements sweeter flavors, such as corn (mix some into grilled corn stripped off the cob for a spectacular side) or caramelized onions (dab some on pizza, top with the onions and some blue cheese, and be wowed).
So we tried it.
And what did it taste like? Sugar. Margie was right. The only really discernible flavor for us was "sweet." Maybe -- maybe -- there was a tiny hint of the acidic tomatoes, or the sharp vinegar, or the pepper flakes. But for us, it tasted sweet enough to be an ice cream topping.
We tried some on roast salmon, as Chef Lynch suggests. It tasted like ... well, roast salmon with strawberry jam on it. We scraped the jam off in order to enjoy the rest of the fish.
So if you do want to try Tomato Jam, we'd suggest you approach it the same way you would any other fruit preserves: Use it only when you want something sweet. So yes, it would probably be great on cheeses, or to sweeten baked beans, or smeared on a biscuit. (Fine Cooking has those and several other suggestions for how to use the jam.)
But on a burger? Or a crab cake? Or using this jam as the T in a BLT (all of which are other suggested uses from FC)? Not for us.
We're glad we gave this a shot, but ultimately we felt like this Tomato Jam was sort of the answer to a question we didn't ask. If we want to eat tomatoes, we'll eat tomatoes. If we want a tomato condiment, we'll use ketchup. If we want a sweet preserve, we'd prefer strawberries or raspberries.
What about you? Have you tried tomato jam? Got any favorite uses for it? Tell us what we're missing!
Summer Tomato Jam
Fine Cooking (August/September 2014), recipe by Barbara Lynch
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Nutrition Information at finecooking.com
(This photo: Scott Phillips/Fine Cooking)
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup good quality white wine vinegar
4-1/2 lb. ripe tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped (about 10 cups)
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Kosher salt
DIRECTIONS
In a 5- to 6-quart pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, and 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture looks syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes (if using), and 1/2 tsp. salt.
Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down and the juice has thickened, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. (You may need to stir more frequently as the jam thickens.)
Season to taste with salt. Let cool to room temperature, transfer to a jar, and refrigerate for up to 2 months.
