In Tomatomania! authors Scott Daigre and Jenn Garbee offer this unexpected mixture of tomato and vanilla. Summer, with its generous combination of sunlight and an occasional thunderstorm, brings forth a tomato bounty that can almost overwhelm us. There is only so much salad we can consume.
But, but, this marmalade, sweet but never losing the tomato flavor, can be enjoyed today, tomorrow or for a month in your refrigerator. Pair this marmalade with cheese atop bread toasted and rubbed with fresh garlic. Or, I know this seems strange but it works, just enjoy a dollop with your scrambled eggs. Don’t think of it as candy. It’s tomatoes!
Tomato-Vanilla Bean Marmalade
Yield: 1cup
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds very ripe, sweet tomatoes, blemishes and rough spots removed
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ vanilla bean, scraped
- Generous pinch of kosher salt
Preparation:
Cut the stem end off the tomatoes and remove any tough cores. Scoop out half the seeds with your finger (a few left are fine). Place the tomatoes in a colander over a bowl and roughly smash them into 1-inch chunks with your hands. Discard any skins that slip off while you work. Reserve the tomato water for another use — like the Black Martini blogged here last week.
Place the strained tomatoes, sugar, vanilla bean and scrapings, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to retain a low boil, and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the marmalade is glossy, 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes. (The jam will thicken more as it cools.) Cool and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Source: Tomatomania!: A Fresh Approach to Celebrating Tomatoes in the Garden and in the Kitchen by Scott Daigre and Jenn Garbee [St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015]