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Garlic Confit

A lot of us enjoy a bit of garlic in our meals. But, there are some of us who crave it, who add extra in all our recipes, and who could even spread it on toast! Well, with this garlic confit recipe you can have it on your toast. Confit means “candied” in French- as in the word confiture for jam and has become a shorthand for something that’s preserved. In this process the garlic isn’t candied, but is preserved in oil.

This method is often used with duck legs and duck fat, a process which not only preserves the cooked meat, it also makes it more tender. When it comes to garlic this process renders it sweet, mild, and spreadably soft. In short, it turns garlic into a topping for bread or as a way to add pre-cooked garlic flavor to all kinds of savory recipes.

To make this recipe you’ll need to start with about 7 heads of garlic. You’ll leave each clove whole, but they all need to be peeled. That’s around 70 cloves! To make this simple you can buy a tub of the pre-peeled garlic in the grocery deli. Unless you just have a lot of time on your hands, buying the peeled garlic is the best way to go.

Garlic Confit

For the oil we’re using 2 cups of olive oil. This cooks for 45 minutes in the oven at a medium temperature. It gives the garlic time to be fully cooked, but it also lets the garlic and herbs infuse into the oil as well. Whenever I have something preserved in oil I like to then use the oil for cook other things once the preserved food has been eaten. In this case the herbs are black peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme- herbs that go well with so many different foods.

Once the garlic is done and has cooled off you can spread it on bread, add it to pasta dishes, or use it in homemade mayo or salad dressings. And it keeps for weeks in the fridge, too, just leave the garlic in the oil so that it stays fresh.

Garlic Confit

If you’re someone who really loves garlic in all its forms then this recipe is one to try!

Makes 8 servings

20m prep time

45m cook time

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Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups peeled garlic cloves (about 7 heads)
  • 2 cups olive oil
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 7 whole peppercorns
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 325˚F. In small stockpot or other oven-safe dish place all ingredients. Garlic cloves should be completely submerged in oil.
  2. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes or until garlic is completely softened. Allow to cool for 1 hour before serving with crusty bread as a spread. Store garlic in oil until ready to use.

Recipe adapted from Craving California.