Name: Tomato Butter
Total time: 3 h 15 min
Ingredients: 2¾ pounds tomatoes , cored, peeled, seeded, and chopped coarse; 1 small onion , chopped; 1 cinnamon stick; ½ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon ground allspice; 1¾ cups packed light brown sugar; ¼ cup bottled lemon juice

Why This Recipe Works

We started by cooking the tomatoes with onion, ginger, and warm spices and then we processed the mixture into a smooth puree. We were disappointed when we tasted the overly spiced, soupy, dark liquid. Instead of tomato, all we tasted was ginger, and none of the vibrant flavor we were looking for. We omitted the ginger and used brown sugar and lemon juice to round out the flavor. With a well-developed flavor profile in place, we then turned to fixing the consistency of our savory-sweet spread. Instead of processing the mixture, we tried mashing it with a potato masher until it was thick yet spreadable. While the mix was thicker, the coarse texture felt less like a fruit butter and more like jam. Taking a cue from our apple butter, we went back to processing the mixture into a smooth consistency, returned it to the pot, added the lemon juice and brown sugar, and cooked it down to a thick, velvety tomato butter.

Before You Begin

For safety reasons, be sure to use bottled lemon juice, not fresh-squeezed juice, in this recipe. For more information on peeling tomatoes. For information on peeling tomatoes, see "Peeling Tomatoes" below.

Instructions

Bring tomatoes, onion, cinnamon stick, salt, and allspice to simmer in Dutch oven over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are very soft and beginning to break down, about 20 minutes.

Discard cinnamon stick, transfer mixture to food processor, and process until smooth, about 1 minute. Return puree to now-empty pot.

Stir in sugar and lemon juice and bring to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until rubber spatula leaves trail when dragged across bottom of pot and mixture measures slightly more than 2 cups, 20 to 30 minutes.

Let tomato butter cool slightly. Using funnel and spoon, portion tomato butter into two 1-cup jars, then let cool to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate, and serve. (Tomato butter can be refrigerated for at least 4 months.)