Ripe Tomato and Apple with Rosemary Jam

This last week I have been pre-occupied with recovering from an accident-non injury , thank goodness.  It's disconcerting the effect something like that can have on your life.  You are just driving along,mentally checking off your to do list on the way home from work and you see that car coming up behind you very very quickly and in that split second you know you are going to get hit and there is no where to go and nothing to do but brace yourself.   I don't know what is worse-seeing it coming or not seeing it coming.  Hope I don't have to think of it again.  But anyway I've been dealing with insurance adjusters,claims adjusters,damage estimators, how about someone to estimate the precious time I have lost getting estimates.  Yes I know it could have been worse,neither one of us were injured, both cars were drivable and we both had insurance.  So yes I am grateful for the little things ! Why does it have to take an accident to jar you back into reality and to make you realize you really have to cherish each little moment because you never know when that moment is going to be taken away from you.
 When I got home after crying a little, and leaving a message for J on his voicemail (he was hiking in Yellowstone) the first thing I did was head for the kitchen-it's my relief for everything that can go wrong in life.  In my little kitchen I find comfort, I find joy and I find that peace that had been taken away for a brief moment.  And in this instance I had a basketful of tomatoes , not quite enough to make a good supply of marinara sauce but a good enough supply to try out a new tomato jam recipe.. Remember I told you about Christine Ferber and the book Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber ?  I made the vanilla fig jam last week.  Today I decided on the Tomato Jam with Apple and Rosemary.  It is just too delicious for words.  I was eating it from the jar as soon as it cooled and now I can't wait to make that perfect poached egg and have a side of the tomato jam with some toasted bread.  If you have an abundance of tomatoes try this jam-the sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness without overpowering the taste of freshly harvested organic tomatoes and the rosemary adds that earthy taste that makes you feel like you are just biting into a freshly picked tomato from the garden.  Bon Appetit.

Ripe Tomato and Apple with Rosemary Jam

adapted from Christine Ferber

Ingredients:

3 pounds ripe grape tomatoes

1 1/2 pounds apples

3 3/4 cups sugar

Juice of 1 small lemon

10 small sprigs of rosemary ( approximately 4-5 leaves per sprig)



Instructions:

Slice the tomatoes in half. The original recipe calls for blanching the tomatoes,removing the skin and seeds but those are my favorite parts so I skipped the blanching and skin and seed removal .  Peel the apples, cut them in half, core them and slice them thinly.

In your preserving pan combine the tomatoes,slice apples,sugar, lemon juice and the rosemary.  Bring to a boil. Then remove from heat, cover with parchment paper and refrigerate overnight.

The next day strain the mixture and take the syrup only and bring it to a boil,skimming the foam.  When the syrup reaches 221F on candy thermometer then add the tomato mixture back into the syrup and bring back to a boil  Bring to a boil on high heat,skimming and boil for about 5-10 minutes, stirring gently until it feels thickened. Check for the jam set, and when ready put into the sterilized jars immediately and process in your boiling water bath according to canning guidelines.

 I couldn't wait to taste this on some toasted bread-it is fantastic.  It makes me wish I had a little Bed & Breakfast so that I might surprise my guests with this !

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