Spiced Tomato Jam with Lemon
END OF SUMMER PICNIC WITH LISA
PART 4
You see this picture? You like Lisa’s dining ware? Well check out her site; Muslingarden.com
I’m not a big fan of tomato jam. But my friend Lisa’s tomato jam? Yes, please.
She made some for me many years ago. Nate was a toddler, I was staying home with him and freelancing for sushi money. I don’t remember what happened, but I killed the whole jar in a span of 3 days, all by myself. Just like how I murdered the whole apple pie Lisa gave one year supposedly for Thanksgiving. (You guessed it right, it didn’t make it to my Thanksgiving table.)
What do you have with tomato jam? Toast, crackers, crostini, . . . it’s good on varieties of glutenful or glutenless spin of bread. Lots and lots of flavor coming from the fresh ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Dancing in a pool of rose colored tomato pureed and thinly sliced lemon, these spices are taking us to an incredible journey just by its scents. Incredible. I’m literally salivating just writing about it!
Start building your tower made of crostini, jam, cheese (any kind — parmesan is my fave 😉 and then salami (or ham, or any cold-cut you like or have.) Repeat.
- 3 cups tomato puree, strained
- 1 meyer lemon, seeded, quartered & thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 box pectin (6 tablespoons)
- Old school: Examine jars for defects. Wash jars, bands and lids. Dry bands and set aside. Sterilize the jars by heating in simmering water for 10 minutes (jars must be fully submerged and remain in simmering water until ready for use). Sterilize lids by pouring boiling water over them in a small pot (keep there for use). Prepare canner.
- To make the tomato puree: cook whole tomatoes in a little water until they begin to fall apart, strain to remove the peels & seeds, you will need 3 cups.
- Combine tomato puree, lemon, ginger, cinnamon and cloves in a large saucepan. Stir in pectin. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir constantly. Stir in sugar all at once. (Add ½ teaspoon of butter at this point to prevent foaming.) Bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars; cover jars with hot canning lids. Screw bands on firmly. Finish one jar at a time and place them on the waiting canning rack.
- Lower the rack of jars into the canner. Cover and return water to a rolling boil; boil 10 minutes (plus any extra for your altitude). Turn off heat and remove lid. Let canner cool 5 minutes before removing jars.
- Remove jars from canner and set upright on a dish towel 2 inches apart. Let cool for 24 hours before checking seals. Store in a cool, dry place.
- New school: You may prepare the jam and keep it stored in the refrigerator, skipping the shelf-stable canning process. Just allow the jam to fully cool in the jars before adding lids (this will prevent condensation.) You can also use canned crushed tomatoes (in place of the puree) to save time.
