Heirloom Tomato Jam

Heirloom tomatoes have become increasingly popular and more readily available in recent years.  They are classified in four categories: family heirlooms, commercial heirlooms, mystery heirlooms and created heirlooms. These are grown for many reasons, such as historical interest, access to wider varieties, and by people who wish to save seeds from year to year.  Their taste is widely perceived to be better than modern tomatoes. Heirloom tomatoes have a shorter shelf life and are less disease resistant than most commercial tomatoes. They also lack a genetic mutation that gives tomatoes an appealing uniform red color which sacrifices the fruit’s sweet taste.

Within the last year I have taken a greater interest in pickling and canning, which has driven me to spend more time making jams and chutneys.  This recipe is one of my favorite jam recipes with a nice heat.

Start out by washing and removing the stems of the tomatoes.  If using large tomatoes, dice them roughly to the size of a garlic clove.  Place the tomatoes in the bottom of a medium sized pot and begin to heat up the pot to just below medium heat.

Layer the rest of your ingredients and begin to stir until they are all combined completely.  Let the ingredients simmer together.  Check and stir the jam every 10 minutes until it begins to thicken.  As the mixture gets thick you will need to stir more frequently so not to burn the bottom.

Once the jam is to the thickness you desire (depending on what you are planning on using it for), blend half of the jam either in a stationary blender or with a stick blender.  Remove the pot from the heat and taste.  Season with extra salt or vinegar to find the exact flavor you love.

      

Place the jam into pre-boiled glass canning jars and top with the lid.  Set jars in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes then remove and let cool on counter.  After an hour, place in refrigerator and cool completely.  Check to make sure once it has cooled the top of the jar has suctioned down and canned properly.

Finally, serve on a burger, toast and cheese or however you would like.  Have fun and enjoy!

Heirloom Tomato Jam Recipe

5 pounds heirloom tomatoes (roughly chopped) – in my opinion, I believe that heirloom tomatoes have the best flavor when in season

2 small yellow onions, diced

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 lemons juiced

1 green apple, finely diced

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

3/4 teaspoon cumin

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1 dried or fresh chilie of your choice (destemed and deseeded)

 

Shortbread Cookies!

Shortbread cookies are not just cookies, they are vessels.  They are great for delivering flavor combinations, as well as delivering your favorite ice creams to your mouth.  Because these cookies are very simple and basic in flavor, they easily take on any flavor that they are combined with.

The cookie is simply made by combining 2 cups of flour with ½ cup of sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 8 ounces of cold chopped butter, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a bowl.  Start by bringing all of the ingredients together with your fingertips until it forms a dough.  Mix the dough by hand until a smooth dough is formed.

Roll the dough out to form a round disk that is ½ inch thick.  Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for a half an hour.   Once chilled, unwrap and roll the dough out on a floured surface until ¼ inch thick.  Cut the dough with a round cutter or with a knife into squares.

Place the cookies on a baking sheet, with spacing around 1 inch between each cookie, and bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Check after 10 minutes and if they have started to lightly brown around the edges, they are done.  Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let cool on a wire rack so that the bottoms of the cookies do not become soggy.

Wasn’t that easy and fun?  Now let’s get creative with it!  Make the dough again, but this time let us add some different components to the mix.  Take some chopped cooked bacon, grated cheddar, a little chopped garlic, and fresh chopped thyme and mix it in the dough.  We can even dress it up after the cookies are done by adding a little cocoa powder or lemon zest and dip in melted chocolate.  This is great to snack on with your coffee.  Another way would be to top with ice cream and serve.

Whatever you decide to do, just remember to have fun with it!