Sweet and Savoury Tomato Jam

A sweet tomato preserve to enjoy with both sweet and savoury foods. Tomatoes, onions, sugar, and peaches are stewed together with some spices until they are reduced and thickened and delicious. The best way I can describe it is like a tomato chutney but - less tart more sweet. It’s a surprising flavour and quite addictive to eat. It smells of stewed tomatoes (delicious) and then it hits your lips and it’s surprisingly sweet with a jam like consistency. I know there are skeptics out there about this sweet & savoury tomato jam - but it’s just one of those things you are going to have to trust me on.

First things first let’s talk tomatoes. You can use any tomatoes you might have available or on hand. I used cherry and grape tomatoes because it was what I had on hand. I had quite a few of them from a shoot. I really loved it with the baby tomatoes and would recommend it if you have them or even a blend of them with whatever other variety you have. You may have noticed that the whole tomato goes in the pot -skin and seeds included. The smaller the tomatoes the smaller the seeds plus all the flavour is concentrated. They are sweeter, and have thinner skin than regular tomatoes and therefore the seeds and skins almost melt away and easily go unnoticed when the jam is enjoyed.

It seems like a lot of sugar going in - it really helps caramelize the jam and it’s actually quite a normal amount as far as jams go but if you wanted to reduce it by a bit that is totally fine. I love this jam with goat cheese on a crisp or on crispy baguette slices and not opposed to a slice of Genoa salami in there too - it pairs really well with many cheeses and a great addition to any cheeseboard. It can easily be added to any sandwich as a condiment or used as a relish. It’s perfect with grilled meats as well and I also used it in my favourite jam tart recipe which ended up tasting like a giant jam filled shortbread cookie. It’s quite simple to make and stores well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks without any special canning efforts. It’s like no other jam you have made - but hopefully one you will love as much as we do. It makes for a great hosting gift too - a jar of this, baguette, chèvre and some wine - what could be better?

Recipe

Servings: Makes approx 2-2½ cups

Ingredients

• 3½ lbs tomatoes, chopped
• 1 red onion, diced
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp coriander
• ¼ tsp cumin
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ½ cup finely diced peach
  

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large heavy bottom pot and stir well to combine.
2. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Cook until thickened and jam-like in consistency, about 2½-3 hours.
4. Transfer to sterilized glass jars and store refrigerated for up to two weeks, or use a hot-water canning bath for 15 minutes for long-term storage.

Adapted from Food52