Confit Garlic and Garlic Oil
Confit garlic and oil is one of my favorite toppings on homemade garlic rolls. Forget that garlic powder! Once you taste this you can never go back! It's so versatile and flavorful too, sweet and juicy with hints of spice and aromatics. A great topping on pizzas,or in savory artisan bread loafs. You can slide the garlic under chicken skin before roasting or mix it with butter for a spread or compound butter. Fold it into cheeses or use it on a salad or sandwich. And the oil is amazing to cook with; use it anywhere from vinaigrette recipes, marinades, or simply to fry eggs. Toss it with french fries with some fresh rosemary and salt! GO WILD!
Equipment
- 12" Dutch Oven
- Sidekick
Ingredients
- 6 ounces garlic cloves, roughly 30-40 cloves peeled
- Enough olive oil to submerge the garlic in a small pot
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 tablespoon water
- Optional other fresh / dried herbs of your choice but not needed: thyme, bay leaf, whole dried chillies, rosemary, sage
Instructions
- If you are using whole fresh garlic, clean and peel all of the garlic down to individual cloves, try not to smash the cloves as whole cloves work best. This is a great way to preserve old garlic in your fridge or if you have a garden to preserve your garlic for an extended period of time. If you decided you just wanted to make a recipe and need some confit garlic, purchasing whole peeled garlic from a local supermarket is a quick and easy way to go that doesn't involve having to peel the skin off fresh garlic.
- Place all of the peeled garlic into a small pot; steel, cast iron, really anything works. Pour enough olive oil into the pot to submerge the garlic by at least a ¼ of an inch. Sprinkle in salt and pepper, the water, and the red pepper flake. Add any additional herbs you'd like to kick up the flavour or simply proceed from this point. The garlic and oil will be amazing either way.
- Very slowly bring the garlic and oil up to an incredibly low simmer, almost no bubbles and movement. Do not boil and do not fry! That is a different recipe. Simmer over low heat until the garlic is tender but not browned. When it seems soft enough to smoosh and almost spread like butter, yet is still strong enough to retain its shape, that is when it is done. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool for at least 45 minutes before storing or using.
- You can save the confit garlic in mason jars or solid sealing tupperware. Fill the jars with the garlic cloves and pour the cooking oil on top. If you added fresh herbs, remove them before storing as the flavour is already infused. The garlic and oil should last 4 months or more if kept refrigerated.
