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    Cherry Tomato Jam

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    This sweet spread is an easy way to enjoy summer’s tomato harvest long after the season has ended. Add it to a charcuterie board for a gourmet touch, or gift a jar to your favorite epicure.I first tasted cherry tomato jam many years ago at a local brasserie, where they served it alongside grilled calamari and an array of house cured meats on a charcuterie board. What a revelation! It was so wonderfully sweet and summery, and its flavor harmonized with everything on my plate. Each time I dined there I made sure to order something that had tomato jam as an accompaniment.This year I planted cherry tomatoes in my little 6′ x 11′ garden outside the workshop with designs to replicate my favorite tomato jam. And boy, did I ever have a bumper crop!
    The variety of cherry tomato I planted is called “Sweet Millions”. I’ve planted “Sweet 100s” before, which yielded a good crop of tomatoes, but I’ve never seen anything like the grape-like clusters on the Sweet Millions plant. I counted about 32 tomatoes on just one cluster!If anyone is interested in growing this variety next year, I purchased my live plant from Grow Joy, right here. Back in March when I was planning my garden, I wasn’t doing any shopping at local nurseries or home and garden centers, so I was happy to find a company that would ship live plants. They have some unusual offerings that aren’t available to me locally, and a unique way of packing the plants so they don’t get damaged.
    My best friend also loves the brasserie’s tomato jam, and so together we worked to get the closest flavor approximation. Lots of tomato jam recipes add strong spices such as cloves or they incorporate hot peppers. This is not our jam. The jam we know and love has unadulterated sweet tomato flavor, so our recipe has very few ingredients – but each one is important!A note about canning jars – I can’t find any at the grocery store right now! This makes me think eeeeverybody is currently canning their summer harvest. Luckily I had some jars squirreled away from last year, but if you’re coming up empty handed, then consider upcycling. Used jam jars and pasta sauce jars with screw-top lids can be washed and sterilized in hot water. You won’t be able to process these in a water bath, but this jam keeps for 6 months in the refrigerator.
    If you’re like me and have cherry tomatoes coming out of your ears, then THIS! This is what to do with them! The jam is wonderful with savory fare, but it’s also good as a simple smear on a buttered baguette.Our current obsession is eating it on wheat crackers with goat cheese and a leaf of fresh basil on top, but the possibilities are endless!

    Cherry Tomato JamYields about four 4 oz. jars2 1/2 lbs. organic vine-ripened cherry tomatoes2 cups (400g) granulated sugar1 teaspoon coarse black pepper1 tablespoon lemon juice3 tablespoons water1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt1 teaspoon coarse black pepperWash tomatoes thoroughly and remove stems. Gently pat dry with a soft tea towel.Place the tomatoes, sugar, lemon juice, and water in a large stock pot. Place over medium heat and stir until tomatoes are coated with sugar. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, mashing the tomatoes with a large wooden spoon or spatula as you stir. Increase the heat to medium-high. Stir in the salt and pepper. The mixture may foam as it cooks; when foam rises to the top, skim it off with a large spoon.Stir frequently to ensure the tomatoes are cooking evenly, until most of the liquid has cooked off. The mixture is ready when it has a glossy appearance, the tomato skins are translucent, and it has a slightly sticky consistency.Ladle the jam into sterilized canning jars and lid. Let rest at room temperature until cool. Store the jam in the refrigerator for up to six months.If canning these for long-term storage, process the jars in a water bath canner with boiling water that covers the tops of the jars. Time the jars at 15 minutes when the water starts boiling again after adding them to the canning pot. Remove the jars from the water bath and allow them to stand until the lids seal (with a satisfying ‘pop’!).Serve tomato jam over goat cheese with crackers, or alongside a charcuterie board. Serve with seafood, or use it to fancy-up fried potatoes of all kinds!
    link Cherry Tomato Jam By Heather Baird Published: Wednesday, August 26, 2020Wednesday, August 26, 2020Cherry Tomato Jam Recipe LEGGI TUTTO

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    • in Recipes

      Fresh Peach Cobbler

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      This simple peach cobbler is a summertime favorite. It’s a great way to celebrate peaches at their peak sweetness!There are a couple of peach cobbler recipes that I make regularly, but I’m adding one more to my repertoire. My usual recipe is this Skillet Peach Cobbler with Biscuit Crust. It’s a little involved and makes a big cast iron pan full of cobbler that is wonderful to share with company, but these days it’s just us. Smaller batches of baked goods makes sense for our household of 2.This recipe largely focuses on the flavor of the fruit, which is spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. This gives the filling a cozy home-style flavor (which, apparently I am way into this summer!).
      Many peach cobbler recipes rely on lots of melted butter to add richness, but here there’s just enough in the crust to make it a proper drop biscuit texture. I’m not saying this is diet food, but it’s somewhat lighter than you might expect.
      Fresh, ripe peaches at peak sweetness are best for this recipe. I used a mixture of white and yellow peaches. They are tossed and coated with a cinnamon and cardamom-spiced cornstarch mixture.
      This recipe calls for an 11×7-inch pan, which I don’t have (which was a surprise!). This oval baker is about 12×8, and it worked well.  A 9×9 square pan would also work.
      The drop biscuit topping will feel scant to cover the peaches, but there’s just enough and it puffs in the oven. I use two spoons to effectively pick up and place the biscuit dough on top of the peaches in the dish.
      Golden brown and delicious! The peaches become soft and even sweeter in the oven.

      This is such a classic home-style dessert that everyone loves. There’s absolutely no question that this cobbler should be served warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top!

      Fresh Peach Cobbler6-8 servingsFilling6-8 large ripe peaches, peeled and sliced (about 7 cups)1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar3 tablespoons cornstarch1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom1 tablespoon lemon juiceBiscuit crust1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour1/4 cup (50g) sugar3/4 teaspoon baking powder1/4 teaspoon fine grain salt1/4 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon lemon zest3 tablespoons cold butter3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, chilled*Vanilla ice cream, for servingPreheat the oven to 375° F.Filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and cardamom. Whisk well. Pour in the peaches. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the peaches and then toss together to coat. Pour the peaches in a greased 11×7 baking dish. Set aside. For the biscuit crust, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or the tines of a fork to cut the butter into the flour mixture. When pea-sized pieces are dispersed throughout to flour, add the buttermilk. Stir together using a rubber spatula.Use two spoons to place portions of dough on top of the peaches in the baking dish. Use the back of a spoon to spread the dough evenly across the peaches (it’s okay if some peaches peek through the dough).Bake for 30 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the peach mixture is bubbling. Serve warm with scoops of ice cream.
      link Fresh Peach Cobbler By Heather Baird Published: Friday, July 10, 2020Friday, July 10, 2020Fresh Peach Cobbler Recipe LEGGI TUTTO