There are few things more pleasurable than biting into a ripe summer tomato, but tomato jam sure comes close. Beyond seeding the tomatoes, which is pretty simple with a good paring knife, this condiment doesn’t require much effort, but oh, do you reap rewards. Slather this on grilled cheese or burgers, serve it on toast with eggs and bacon, add it to olive oil and make it a salad dressing, or just eat it by the spoonful.
Summer Tomato Jam Makes 1 cup
1½ cups chopped, seeded tomatoes (about 1 to 2 large heirloom tomatoes or 10 to 15 cherry or sunburst tomatoes)
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely minced
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. water
? tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until tomatoes start to break down, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring every 15 minutes until the jam begins to thicken. This can take 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the amount of liquid in the tomatoes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Tomato jam will keep, covered and refrigerated, up to 2 weeks.
This article appears in August 2015.