adapted from The Heirloom Tomato Cookbook
Makes 1 1/2 cups
2 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, one variety or a mixture is fine
3/4 cups sherry vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
5 peppercorns, tied in a small piece of cheesecloth
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
3 jalapeno chilies, seeded and minced
1/8 tsp sea salt
In a large, heavy nonreactive pot combine all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and jam-like, about 2 hours. Toward the end of the cooking time, place a heat deflector under the pot and stir more frequently to prevent the marmalade from scorching. Remove the peppercorns.
While still hot, ladle the marmalade into a sterilized jar, leaving 1/2 inch headroom. Seal with hot lids and process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars, let cool, store in a cool dark place for up to 1 year. Or, if you do not wish to can the marmalade, skip the boiling-water bath and store the jars in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Our intent was not to can it, but to have it with dinner! It was so good that we aren't going to have to worry about storing it for any length of time. We played around and added a bit of Feta on top of some of the toasts. I prefer it plain....the flavor is too wonderful to mix in anything else! We did discuss that using it with Brie might be an excellent idea...now, that is something that I would love to try.