Sweet Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
Submitted by edunbar
Sweet pickled cherry tomatoes simmered in a thick sugar syrup with fresh ginger, lemon juice, and lemon rind until jewel-like and transparent. Makes 6 pints of gorgeous homemade preserves.
YIELD
6 pintsPREP
15 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
1 hrsThese aren’t your typical vinegar pickles. Cherry tomatoes get simmered slowly in a rich sugar syrup with fresh ginger root and lemon until they turn translucent and jewel-like, suspended in a thick, fragrant syrup that’s somewhere between a preserve and a confiture.
Pricking each tomato with a fork before cooking lets the syrup penetrate all the way through, so every bite is sweet, gingery, and bright with lemon. By the time they’re done, the tomatoes are practically glowing.
Six pints is a generous batch, and you’ll be glad for every jar. Spoon them over cream cheese on crackers, serve them alongside roasted pork, or eat them straight with a spoon when nobody’s watching.
Kitchen Tips
- Use firm cherry tomatoes, not soft or overripe ones. They need to hold their shape through an hour of simmering without dissolving into mush.
- Prick each tomato in several places with a fork. Skip this step and the syrup stays on the outside while the inside stays raw.
- Cook the syrup with the ginger and lemon for a full 15 minutes before adding the tomatoes back. This concentrates the flavor so it’s strong enough to stand up to all that sugar.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the tomatoes and prick each one in several places with the tines of a fork.
Dissolve the sugar in the water, birng to a boil and boil rapidly for 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the tomatoes and to the syrup add the ginger root, lemon juice and rind, and salt.
Simmer the syrup for 15 minutes, return the tomatoes to the syrup and cook about 30 minutes longer, or until the syrup is thick and the tomatoes are transparent.
Turn into hot jars and seal.
Makes about 6 pints.
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