Anyone who grows cherry tomatoes usually ends up with more cherry tomatoes than they can eat. One can only pop so many cherry tomatoes into one’s mouth, picked straight off of the vine, before imagining of all of the many dishes that they could be used in. Savory Cherry Tomato Jam is a lovely way to transform those sweet orbs of sunshine into something else that’s equally as delicious, equally as “summer.”
I served Savory Cherry Tomato Jam to Katie and Dave a few weeks ago. It was a late summer day, and we sat around the picnic table enjoying a spread of picnic fare. I served Savory Cherry Tomato Jam with sourdough bread and Fresh Ricotta. Kate observed that that the ricotta and the jam muted one another, and that the jam was more sweet than savory. I thought to myself, Next time I’ll omit the honey.
A week later we visited Lisa and John for a Labor Day get-together, and I took Savory Cherry Tomato Jam to the gathering. However, I neglected to omit the honey, forgetting that that was my intent until I was pouring the second teaspoon into the bowl. No matter. There was so much food that the Savory Tomato Jam got lost in the mix. There were crackers, creamy, aged cheddar, gooey soft cheese, tinned oysters and clams, and a summer squash casserole that came bubbling out of the oven. And Jenna made deviled eggs with Coleman’s mustard, garnished with capers – delish. There was so much food and great conversation. And then summer was over.
Well, not quite yet. I wasn’t done with this recipe. I served Savory Cherry Tomato Jam to Liz and Steve, and Susan and Gene earlier this week, along with sourdough and Fresh Ricotta, of course. This time I reduced the amount of honey to 1 teaspoon, and I must say that it was just right.
This year I grew Sweet 100 and Black Cherries. They’re both varieties of cherry tomatoes, but they’re quite different. The Sweet 100s are much smaller than the Black Cherries, and not quite as sweet. Next year I’ll probably just grow the Black Cherries because they’re so versatile. They can be used in recipes that call for cherry tomatoes, but they’re meaty enough that they can be used in dishes that call for Roma tomatoes. They’re great in sauces, they’re perfect to Spicy Tomato Catsup, and they even make a delicious Caprese salad. We’re wearing shoes and socks again and even sweaters in the evening. The vines are becoming ragged and the production is slowing, but I hope to make Savory Tomato Jam at least one more time before the end of the season. I hope you try it too.
Savory Cherry Tomato Jam
Ingredients
- 10 – 14 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 4 t whole-grain mustard
- 1 t honey
- 1 t dried oregano
- 2 t white miso
- 1/4 t black pepper
Instructions
- Broil tomatoes – Halve each tomato top to bottom. Lightly oil your baking sheet and spread the tomato halves out, cut side down. Broil until the tomatoes are collapsing, browning a bit, and heaving off their jackets. This only takes 3 minutes in my oven.
- Mix – mix the remaining ingredients to create the complex, mustardy sauce.
- Toss – Toss the broiled tomatoes in the sauce. Serve with sourdough bread and Fresh Ricotta.
