Toast Topper #13: Tomato Chili Jam!

Are you looking for a unique holiday addition to the cheese board, for holiday gifts or simply a condiment to have all to yourself? Why not consider a totally different spread - a jam made with a fruit that doesn't present itself as a fruit? What am I talking about? Have I gone bonkers? (Okay, maybe)

But not when I'm talking about a tomato jam. This was the last thing I canned from our backyard tomatoes, using a recipe I adapted from The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook. I used not only my heirloom goodies, but bittersweet Demerara sugar (which I adore for it's sticky molasses nature) and almost my whole spice cabinet (not literally but there were a lot of spices!). Ginger, cumin, cinnamon and cloves nestled snugly with a motley crue of black, white, red and ancho pepper! While the blend is definitely spicy, it's in no way "hot" thanks to the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and sugar.

I won't lie, this is a dead-simple jam to make, but it takes about an hour and 20 minutes to cook - and about 20 minutes of that you need to be stirring often. The result though is so far beyond worth it! Thick, spreadable, the perfect mellowing of spice and sweet, I don't blame you if you just stash the jar in the fridge and forget the canning process altogether (especially since it only makes two cups!). Then, all you have to do come the next holiday party is bake some sliced, storebought pita or lavash until crispy, cut some cheeses (Brie! Chevre! Havarti! Gouda!) and you're off to the races. Bonus - if you use a wide mouth Mason jar? No separate bowl!!

Tomato - Chili Jam
Makes 2 cups, 16 servings
2 lbs fresh, ripe plum tomatoes, chopped and seeded
3/4 cup Demerara sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
2 tbsp lemon juice

1. In a heavy saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the lemon juice.
2. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour 20 minutes, until thick and "jammy".
3. Stir in the lemon juice.
4. Spoon into 1 cup jars and can in a water bath for 30 minutes, or seal and keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks. 

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 46.2
Total Fat: 0.2 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 145.4 mg
Total Carbs: 11.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.6 g
Protein: 0.5 g

Sent to Foodie Fridays , Gluten Free Mondays and Gluten Free Fridays

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