Tomto Bacon Jam

I'm still in full tilt Christmas gift creation mode. This morning it's probably the one gift more friends look forward to than any other: my tomato bacon jam.

It starts with cooking and chopping bacon, chopping onion, and staging chopped tomatoes and spices. Some of the bacon fat is strained to sauté chopped onion in.

When the onions are translucent, I toss in the prepared bacon, tomatoes and spices. A touch of apple cider vinegar provides the perfect offset to white and brown sugar.

Then the whole thing simmers for an hour. The dry mustard, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and pepper flakes create such a wonderful balance of flavor that it's hard to stop eating once you've begun.

The finished product is a lovely relish, suitable for toast, burgers, fries and so many other foods. It's a regular on my charcuterie board, or serves atop thin slices of hearty cheeses.