Difficulty Level Easy

I had a dinner party this past weekend for a fairly large crowd, mostly people I had never met before. That's always a bit of a tricky situation, because when you are entertaining friends, you have a better sense of their taste. However, these were all people who do volunteer work for an organization that works for the conservation of historical buildings in the province of Ontario, so I knew for sure that my menu and wine list had to reflect what was completely local and seasonal.

The thing I liked best was an appetizer I made of crostini with a slice of brie and a spoonful of homemade tomato jam. The crispiness of the crostini with the creaminess of the cheese (you could use goat cheese, too) and the deep, luscious flavour of the jam was addictive. I ended up making more than I needed because my son and his girlfriend who were helping out, kept urging me to keep going because they liked them so much. I tend not to eat a lot at dinner parties because by the time the guests have arrived I've been planning, thinking about and tasting all the stuff for days and I'm no longer hungry. But cleaning up after everyone was gone I found myself reaching for the crostini leftovers more than once.

This tomato jam is a recipe I can see making again and again. It was a beautiful deep red and had a complex, spicy flavour without being hot. I lightly fried the crostini in olive oil as you would croutons, but it's not the way I would normally do it for a regular dinner. I would drizzle the bread with some olive oil and then bake it or broil it in the oven until it was golden brown. This is definitely something to keep in mind as the entertaining season will soon be upon us.

This recipe makes one pint, but you could triple or quadruple it and preserve it. I would put it in a water processing for 15 minutes. Otherwise it will keep in the refrigerator for a few weeks, if it lasts that long.

INGREDIENTS