Roasted Garlic Confit
This is less of a recipe and more of a preservation method. Once you have a jar of these cloves in your fridge, you stop reaching for fresh garlic because the work is already done.
Patience is your primary ingredient.
If you turn the heat up too high, the garlic will brown and turn bitter rather than sweet and soft. Keep the oil at a bare tremble, not a boil.
- small heavy-bottomed saucepan or oven-safe ramekin
- chef's knife
- glass jar for storage
What goes in.
- 3 whole headsgarlic, separated into cloves and peeled
- 1 cupextra virgin olive oil, enough to submerge
- 2 sprigsfresh thyme or rosemary (optional)
- 1 tspblack peppercorns
Low and Slow Poaching
The garlic must be completely covered by oil throughout the entire cooking process to ensure even softening and to prevent the edges from drying out.
The method.
Prep the cloves
Peel the garlic cloves carefully, leaving them whole. If you have trouble removing the skins, soak them in warm water for ten minutes first.
Combine
Place the cloves in the saucepan and pour the oil over them until the cloves are completely submerged by at least half an inch.
Heat
Set your stove to the lowest possible flame. If using an oven, set it to 250°F (120°C). Cook until the cloves are pale gold and yield instantly to the pressure of a fork.
Cool and store
Let the mixture cool to room temperature in the pan before transferring into a clean glass jar. Keep the cloves submerged in the oil at all times.
Other turns to take.
Spicy Confit
Add two dried red chili pods to the oil before heating for a slow, lingering heat that pairs well with pasta.
Citrus Infused
Add a single strip of lemon peel, avoiding the bitter white pith, to brighten the profile of the oil.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use the leftover garlic-infused oil to sauté vegetables or toss with pasta; it is just as valuable as the cloves themselves.
Do not store this at room temperature; always keep the jar in the refrigerator.
If the garlic begins to brown, your oil is too hot. Remove the pan from the heat immediately.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know when it is done?
A fork should slide through the center of a clove with zero resistance, similar to poking a stick of room-temperature butter.
How long will this last?
Stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator and kept submerged in oil, it will maintain its quality for up to two weeks.
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