100ml, $6.99
available at fine food stores, we bought it at Pusateri’s Fine Foods.
For more information contact La Tomate

Shelf Life showed this item to our friend the condiment queen, and she pounced on it: “I love interesting flavour pairings – they’re what I call Odd Couples.” she said. “Tomato and port? Could happen.” Quicker than we could say ‘comestibles’ she produced some posh crackers and a seductive cheese, San Pietro , after which the package was opened and jelly pressed from the tube. The jelly made a good first impression – shiny and russet-coloured, with a tart aroma – and it spread on the cheese and crackers very nicely. We chewed in thoughtful silence. After a while our friend ventured, “I’m tasting the port, but not the tomato.” Shelf Life sighed. Time and time again we take a chance on an Odd Couple product – most recently, that disappointing salad dressing with ginger and fig – only to discover that half of the combo is missing in action, either overwhelmed by its counterpart or barely there to begin with. “The port is fine, but there’s definitely no acid, nothing sun-dried or tomato-y” finished our friend. All in all, we agreed that this product could succeed as plain old port jelly – with a hint of unspecified spin – and that the packaging is extremely enticing. If Shelf Life decided to spend seven more dollars and buy it again, we’d follow the package recommendation and use it to deglaze and create a sauce for duck or lamb; we’d also try it with goat cheese. But it would definitely be a BYOT occasion – Bring Your Own Tomatoes.

THREE STARS***