My twitter pals know why I was whistling dixie yesterday. While on vacation I took a few minutes to enter my tomato jam recipe into the weekly contest for best preserves over at Food 52. Well guess what (ok, you probably figured out but please entertain me)? I won. And the crazy thing is with all my accomplishments, this one means more than you can imagine. Not only was it chosen by the amazing duo of Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs—the community cast the votes, so it means I reached real people. That's why I started blogging almost three years ago. What started as a way to connect and share my life experiences with friends and family, has blossomed into In Jennie's Kitchen. Like my tag line says, it's all about "making meals easier, one recipe at a time". Just because you have children doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality and flavor. And for those who say they can't cook, I say if you can boil water, saute some garlic, add tomatoes and fresh basil, then yes, you can!
On that note, here's the winning recipe and you won't believe how easy it is to make. Patience is a virtue here, so get ready to catch up on Mad Men, Top Chef, or whatever you kids watch these days while it's simmering on the stove. And thanks again to everyone in the Food 52 community who made this gal from Brooklyn so very proud and bursting with joy.
Sweet & Savory Tomato Jam
Makes 1 ½ pints
Just enough sweetness to tow the line between a condiment for roasted
and grilled meats and a treat to slather on toasted baguette, this is a
great way to preserve summer's bounty.
3 1/2 lbs tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup finely diced tart green apple
Put all ingredients in a 2-quart pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then
reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until thickened and jam-like consistency,
about 3 hours. Transfer to sterilized glass jars and store in
refrigerator for up to two weeks, or use a hot-water canning bath for
15 minutes for long-term storage.
Add all these ingredients to a pot...
and a few hours later, this is your reward.
Bonus Round: As if one win wasn't enough to make me squeal with delight, this recipe for Seriously Delicious Ribs was chosen as the wildcard winner at Food 52 this week too.
Now this is a tomato dish I could eat!
Posted by: Jeena | 09/10/2009 at 04:14 AM
Wow, that's unique and exotic jam recipe, a bit like chutney and probably delicious on crusty bread, yum
Posted by: Sarah | 09/10/2009 at 06:48 AM
Congrats on the Food52 wins... The jam sounds wonderful!
Posted by: Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction | 09/10/2009 at 12:19 PM
oh man, this jam would be a great marinade for slow cooking beef. I love how different this jam is, I honestly have never heard of tomato being turned into a jam until now.
Posted by: Jessie | 09/12/2009 at 06:37 AM
Question - in the "Add all these ingredients to a pot..." photo it looks like there's also green grapes?
Posted by: megs | 09/14/2009 at 08:15 AM
congrats that is lovely news! hope it gives you a lot of exposure! your recipes and kitchen outlook are so great!
Posted by: Ulla | 09/14/2009 at 04:06 PM
Megs - I used a variety of tomatoes. The green ones you see are husk tomatoes, also called ground cherry ones. Here's a post I wrote about them. I say buy what you like at the market, and just keep in mind that mixing the varieties each time will subtly change the flavor.
http://mamachronicles.typepad.com/in_jennies_kitchen/2009/08/market-treasures-ground-cherry-tomatoes.html
Posted by: Jennifer | 09/14/2009 at 07:17 PM
Congratulations! This jam looks amazing. See your going to BlogHer Food. Look forward to meeting you!
Posted by: Cheri | 09/15/2009 at 07:04 AM
mmmm yummy
Posted by: invierta proyectos | 02/11/2010 at 10:07 AM