You might not need this recipe with the first sweet, sweet cherry tomatoes of the season, but if you end up with a bounty of cherry tomatoes – this is a great way to use them up.
I cannot remember where I got this recipe but it’s delicious with goat cheese. Or over ice cream. Yes!
Pectin is sold with canning supplies in small Jello-size boxes with brand names like Sure-Jell, but also in store brands. I think Ball maybe is now also selling a small “bulk” container so you can just spoon out a teaspoon or so rather than using a whole box to make a batch of jams. Great for small batch preserving.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup granulated sugar, divided 1 teaspoon powdered pectin 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved crosswise 1/2 vanilla bean 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preparation:
Combine 1 tablespoon sugar with powdered pectin. Set aside.
In a nonreactive bowl, combine the remaining sugar with the cherry tomatoes. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add them to the tomatoes and sugar along with the bean itself. Toss until the tomatoes are evenly coated with the sugar and vanilla. Cover and let macerate for 30 minutes until most of the sugar is dissolved and the tomatoes have released their juices. Pour the mixture into a nonreactive pot and place over medium high heat. Let come up to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the tomatoes reduce to about three-quarters of its original volume, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming any foam off the top.
Stir in the lemon juice; then whisk in the pectin mixture well to avoid any clumps. Let simmer for another 5 minutes to cook the pectin.
Let cool and refrigerate. Fills 2 8-oz. jars.