If you’re lucky enough to have a bounty of garden fresh tomatoes, why not preserve the summer taste and enjoy into the fall. Sure, pasta sauce is a great way to use those tomatoes, but you can also treat the tomatoes like the fruit they are and make jam!

Unlike fruit jams, this condiment leans more savory, with a spicy-sweet edge. This recipe, courtesy of Whisk, balances the sugar with ginger and cayenne pepper. The jam can be tucked into an omelet, spread on crackers and cheese, or stirred into your favorite pan sauce. Really, it can go anywhere you want an intensely tomato-ey burst of flavor.

Summer Fresh Tomato Jam
Makes about 1 pint of jam

Ingredients:
2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
¾ cup brown sugar
Zest of one lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
1. In a large Dutch oven on the stove top, bring all the ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Stir the mixture often. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about one hour or until the consistency of the tomatoes is thick and jam-like.
2. Cool and refrigerate. Enjoy within one week. (The jam can also be frozen for longer storage.)

About Whisk

A welcoming community for home cooks and professional chefs alike, Whisk is stocked with thousands of unique, high-quality kitchenware and entertaining items. A variety of cooking classes are held every month, suitable for all levels of culinary expertise.

316 Colonades Way, Cary
(919) 322-2458
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