Sweet Tomato Jam With Honey And Vanilla Refrigerator Style Food

HONEY-SWEETENED TOMATO JAM

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a low, wide, non-reactive pot (stainless steel is best, because if you experience any scorching or burning, you can scrub it easily). Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce temperature to medium high.
• Stirring regularly, cook the jam at a low boil until it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. This takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on the heat of your stove, the width of your pan, and the water content of your tomatoes.
• Towards the end of cooking, as the jam begins to thicken, reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir. This jam has a tendency to burn at the very end of cooking time, as the sugars concentrate and the temperature level in the pan increase.
• When you're 15 or 20 minutes out from the jam being finished, prepare a boiling water bath canner and 6 or 7 half pint jars (the yield will be between 5 and 7 half pints). Place lids in a small pan of water and bring to a bare simmer.
• Once the jam is thick and there is no visible water separating out from the fruit, it is done. Remove the pan from the heat and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. This helps evaporate out the last of the water and will give you a better set when the jam cools.
• Funnel jam into prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.
• When time is up, remove jars and place them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When jars are fully cool, remove rings and test seals. Sealed jars are shelf stable. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.

TOMATO JAM

Steps:

• Toss tomatoes, sugar and salt together in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Let sit at least 15 minutes or up to overnight, tossing to coat periodically to dissolve the sugar. (This helps coax the juices out of the tomatoes.)
• Place a small plate in the refrigerator to chill. (You'll use this later.)
• Add the vinegar to the tomatoes, and bring to a strong simmer over medium heat until the skins burst and the juices start to boil, about 10 minutes. Add in any of the optional ingredients (see note), if using.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, and cook the jam. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir the jam, occasionally at first and more frequently as the juices thicken. Do this until most of the liquid has evaporated and the tomatoes have begun to break down, and the mixture resembles a very thick, shiny tomato sauce, 35 to 45 minutes. This is the stage at which it's most important to stir constantly along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and sticking. (Sugar is heavier than water and will concentrate at the bottom of the pot, increasing the chance that the fruit will burn.) How much the tomatoes break down will depend on their type and how ripe they are: For example, firm green tomatoes are likely to remain chunky, while ripe red tomatoes will break down almost entirely.
• To test for thickness, spoon a bit of jam onto the chilled plate, return it to the refrigerator and chill for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through it: It should hold its shape on either side without appearing watery or runny. If it's not there yet, continue to cook a few minutes more.
• Remove from heat and discard the chiles de árbol, if using. Divide the jam between jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space, and seal immediately. Can the jams (see our How to Make Jam guide for more instruction), or store in the refrigerator, using them up within a couple of weeks.

TOMATO JAM

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Using a paring knife, cut out the stem end of each tomato, then slice a shallow X in the bottom.
• Plunge the tomatoes into the boiling water until their skins loosen, about 30 seconds. Remove them with a slotted spoon and let cool. When cool enough to handle, slip off their skins. Discard the water, but save the saucepan for cooking the jam.
• Halve the tomatoes at their equator and gently squeeze out the seeds and juice. Cut the tomatoes into 1/2-inch (1.5-cm) pieces.
• Return the tomatoes to the saucepan and stir in the sugar, pepper, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to ensure that the mixture is cooking evenly, until most of the liquid has cooked off. If foam occasionally rises to the top, skim it off with a large spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice.
• Ladle the jam into clean jars. Cover tightly, let cool, and refrigerate.
• Storage:
• The jam will keep for at least 6 months in the refrigerator.

SWEET TOMATO JAM WITH HONEY AND VANILLA (REFRIGERATOR STYLE)

Steps:

• In a large nonreactive pot, combine ingredients, adding both vanilla seeds and pods to the pot. Simmer over medium-low heat until the mixture is very thick and jammy, about 1 and 1/2 hours. Discard vanilla pods. 3. If canning, spoon into hot sterilized jars and process as directed. Otherwise, let jam cool, then store in refrigerator or freezer. YIELD 3 half-pint jars.