Balsamic Tomato Jam

It feels like my last few posts have all included jam. Well, I guess you can tell I love using it in everything and even more, I love making it. This pan jam is one of the easiest things to make. A friend of mine has the cutest little garden at her house. Her tomatoes are prime for the picking so she shared the abundance with me . Earlier in the week, I had already made some tomato soup and veggie quiche. I wanted to try something different so the jam idea sounded great! I was skeptical how it would turn out, as the cooking process was a bit different from the way fruit cooks down. But let me tell you, this stuff is amazing. My mom kept raving about the flavor and pairing it with cheese and crackers. I went the other route and added it to grilled cheese made with goat cheese and spinach. I'm excited to get more tomatoes so I can make this again soon. I already have some new yummy ideas of what I can do with it.

Ingredients:

5 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
(heirloom, cherry, plum, yellow)
Juice from ½ lemon
⅓ cup agave nectar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

To make:

Chop and measure 5 cups of tomatoes. In a large pot or deep pan, add tomatoes, lemon juice, agave, and salt. Turn heat to high-medium and gently stir to combine. Once the mixture starts to boil, continue to stir frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. After about 5 minutes of cooking, add the balsamic vinegar. Continue to stir often for 25-30 minutes or until jam has reached a thickened consistency. Remove from heat and pour into two 8oz glass jars. Top with lids and store in fridge or freezer. I usually put one in each until I'm done with the first but I put both of these in the fridge this time because we couldn't stop eating it ;)

Cherry Apricot Pan Jam

Pan Jams are one of my favorite things to make. They are so easy and in a short amount of time you have delicious jam! No one will know the difference. Lately I’ve been using my last batch of strawberry jam to top my yogurt and granola in the mornings. It’s a great way to flavor and lightly sweeten plain Greek yogurt using natural sugars from the fruit and honey. This jam is also great as a topping for pancakes, added into smoothies or even muddled in cocktails. Since there is no canning process required, the jam needs to be kept refrigerated. It usually keeps for about a week or two in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer. One batch  yields 16oz. This jam in particular is on the tart side which I prefer. If you would like a sweeter jam, add 1-2 more tablespoons of honey.


Ingredients:

2½ cups cherries, halved and pitted
2½ cups apricots, pitted and diced
½ cup honey
Juice from 1 lemon
Pinch of salt

To make:

In a large saucepan, add prepared fruit, honey, lemon juice and salt. Turn heat to medium high and stir to incorporate ingredients. Once the mixture reaches a boil, cook for about 18-20 minutes stirring frequently.  About ¾ of the way through you may need to turn the heat down to medium low to prevent thickening jam from burning. Once jam is done, pour into two glass jars. Top with lids and place in fridge or freezer. I usually keep the second jar in the freezer until ready to use.

Cranberry Orange Pan Jam

Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. My love for recipes with cranberries is so great this time of year. One of my favorites is what we do at work. We top cupcakes with the sugared berries. It's just so pretty with the contrast of the deep berry color and the whiteness of the sugar. Definitely brings on that joyous feeling of winter.

During the summer, I made a few batches of pan jams using stone fruit. I thought it would be great to make a batch using cranberries. I love pan jams because they are so easy to make. Since there is no canning process required, they need to be kept refrigerated. They usually keep for about a week or two in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer.

Cranberry Orange Pan Jam 

Ingredients:

1 12oz bag of cranberries

1 orange - zest and juice

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

2 stevia packets 

(If you don't use stevia, I would suggest adding more coconut sugar since the berries are so tart.)

1oz Grand Marnier (Optional)

To Make:

Rinse cranberries and place in large bowl.

Heat 3 cups water in a pot just until it starts to boil. 

Pour water over cranberries and let sit for 10 minutes.

During this time, zest the orange and set both zest and orange aside. 

You will need the juice from the orange in the next step.

Drain cranberries and place back in the pot along with zest, 

juice from the whole orange, honey, coconut sugar, and stevia. 

Turn heat to medium-high and stir gently to combine all ingredients. 

Continue to stir every few minutes.

After about 5 minutes cranberries will begin to burst. 

Use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to mash berries down.  

Turn heat slightly lower after 5 more minutes and add 1oz Grand Marnier.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until jam looks thick.

Store jam in glass jars in the fridge or freezer. 

This jam makes a great topping for pancakes as well as oatmeal and ice cream.