About the Recipe
In this years lead up to the holiday season I was immersed in butter and sugar. Enjoying every moment of the Christmas cookie baking craze. But I also started to contemplate what kinds of hors d'oeuvres might be fun to make. After all, isn't the holiday season all about sharing wonderful moments around good food?
Bruschetta came to mind because I thought a pop of color from the red juicy tomatoes would be nice and festive. But I wanted to make it a little differently this year. So I thought why not deconstruct it and tone down the flavors by caramelizing the garlic instead of using it raw. Et voila garlic confit!
I love garlic confit, it really changes the intense flavors garlic into something delicate and sweet. Quite literally, spreadable garlic candy. What's great about it is that it is delicious on it's own. Just take a clove and spread it onto a cracker or piece of baguette. A perfect appetizer in itself, but also incredible to pair with other ingredients to create incredible flavor filled dishes. Add it to dips, salads and soups. Pair it with roasted vegetables or meats and cheeses. Once you try garlic confit you won't want to eat garlic any other way. After all, made in this way, it is easier to digest. So you can go garlic crazy!
Ingredients
2 heads of Garlic
2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 springs Rosemary
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 325F.
The first step is the longest and most tedious, but once you complete the first step the next are easy-peasy. Take the heads of garlic and separate them into individual cloves. Peel the cloves. Now, there are various techniques you can find on the internet as how to do this as quickly and hassle free as possible. One trendy one is to place all the cloves into a sealed jar and shake vigorously for a few minutes. Personally, this method didn't really work for me. Not sure if I was doing it properly. Maybe I was using the wrong sized jar... maybe it's the garlic. Who knows. So, instead I went for the good old squash and peel. Take a large knife and crush the clove on the side with the flat side of the knife. You'll break the delicate skin this way and will be able to peel the rest off quite easily.
Once all your cloves are peeled, place them in a small oven proof dish and cover them with olive oil. The cloves should be submerged 3/4 of the way. Sprinkle in the salt and place in the rosemary springs. Put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the garlic is cooked through and golden brown.
This confit garlic is amazing to eat as a spread on it's own. Take a clove and spread it on a piece of toasted baguette. It is absolutely delicious. It also makes a great paring for other roasted vegetables or dips. I use it for my deconstructed bruschetta recipe and it is heavenly.