Confit is a traditional French method of cooking and preserving foods in oil or fat. Originally it was the poor in France who used the method to preserve meats when refrigeration was not available. These days however, confit foods, especially poultry are popular in many trendy restaurants.
Confiting is ever so easy to do and makes any one look like a fabulous cook. Confit garlic is fantastic in roasts, added to mash potatoes or tossed through any green vegetable turning the simple into spectacular.
When you cook garlic slowly sugars are released, creating a delicious sweet and earthy depth to these some times potent bulbs and makes them soft and creamy like butter.
Ingredients
6 bulbs of garlic
3 cups vegetable oil
2 sprigs thyme or rosemary
Method
This is not really a recipe, but more a guideline to follow. Feel free to change the quantities, however I suggest using the above recipe as a minimum. It is easier to cook the garlic evenly in large amounts.
Peel the garlic cloves and place in heavy based casserole dish along with the sprigs of thyme or rosemary. Cover the cloves with oil and cook on a low heat.
Continue to cook for 40 – 60 minutes or until the cloves are lightly golden and soft.
Allow to cool for five minutes before transferring into sterilised jars. You want the garlic and oil to still be hot. This will help seal the containers for storage. Store in sterilised jars three to four months, or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to six months.
Use the oil for sautéing and frying to add a wonderful garlic aroma to your food. Add the garlic in anything from sauces, spread on crusty bread and even salads.
Bon Appetite.
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3 comments:
I've never thought to do this myself, but it sounds so easy that I might just have to try!
I am curious to try this. Do you process the filled jars at all, or just seal them up and let them cool? Great post, thanks!
In my household confit garlic never lasts untouched for too long, so I don’t go to too much hassle, plus the garlic is covered with oil, which helps their shelf life. When sealing I generally tend to sterilise the jars in boiling water and dry them thoroughly. I fill the jars while the oil is hot and seal tightly with the lid. If I am giving them away as a gift I will go through a better jarring technique.
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