Cherry Tomato Spread

Author Notes

Cherry tomatoes tend to crack, especially after several days of heavy rain like we just had. I always end up with a basket of “seconds” from my garden which I immediately turn into this simple and easy tomato spread. Or, I freeze the tomatoes whole and make the spread in the fall or winter as needed. It keeps in the refrigerator for one week to ten days.
This year I mainly grew the Sweet 100 variety, which truly deserves its name. As you can tell from the numerous submissions to the contest there are many wonderful recipes with cherry tomatoes. For me, capturing their flavor for the winter days when I cannot even walk to the compost barrel because we are iced in and I would give anything for a fresh tomato, is one of my favorite recipes with cherry tomatoes. - MyGardenersTable
—Nadia Hassani

Test Kitchen Notes

Using a wonderful heirloom variety, the cherry tomato spread from MyGardenersTable really captures the flavor of summertime in a jar. We prepared this recipe twice; once using gorgeous sweet big cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, and once with cherry tomatoes from the supermarket. The supermarket cherry tomatoes just weren't juicy enough to withstand the high oven heat and dried out. The second time around, when we used heirloom cherry tomatoes, we erred on the side of caution and turned the oven down to 350°F and it came out very nicely. It's important to use the just right-sized small, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid to prevent the juices from escaping; the tomatoes should come at least two-thirds of the way up the side. We'll be making some more and freezing it for the winter! - wssmom —wssmom