Garlic Confit

Garlic confit is one of those recipes that practically makes itself. And once you’ve made it, it’s like having a secret weapon in your fridge, ready and waiting to take whatever you’re cooking to next-level-deliciousness!

I want to share a flavor-bomb secret with you. It’s something you can keep in a little unsuspecting jar in the door of your fridge, adding a spoonful here and there whenever you feel like it.

I’m talking about garlic confit and it will elevate whatever you’re making with it’s savory-sweet, garlicky-ness.

When you gently cook garlic cloves in fat until they’re golden and spreadably-sticky-soft inside you have garlic confit. Cooking garlic in this way mellows it’s sharp corners and brings out it’s natural sweetness. You’ve probably had roasted garlic? This is very similar but I think it’s even more mellow and nutty. Plus, not only do you get to enjoy the garlic cloves, you also get the flavorful garlic oil that they cooked in. It’s like a two for one!

Garlic Confit Is So Easy To Make

How easy? It requires only two ingredients (three if you want to throw in a few herb sprigs) and less than 10 minutes hands-on time before you place it in the oven, walk away and let it do it’s thing. Then, over the next couple of hours those previously sharp, pungent cloves of garlic will magically transform into soft, golden, mellow garlic perfection.

What’s In Garlic Confit?

Get ready for the shortest ingredients list ever…

• Whole Bulbs of Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Optional fresh herbs (I love to add thyme)

The amount of garlic and olive oil and the size dish you need is completely up to you. You’ll want a dish wide enough to hold everything in a single layer, but small enough that it won’t take a gallon of olive oil to cover the garlic. You don’t need to peel the garlic (a tedious kitchen task, I think!) because once it’s cooked the cloves will slip out easily with a little squeeze.

Prepping And Cooking…

• Cut whole bulbs of garlic in half through their middles (going from side to side, not top to bottom). Discard only the loose papery outer layers, leaving them mostly unpeeled so that each bulb half holds together. You’ll have a few individual cloves that separate and that’s ok, don’t peel them either.
• Place garlic bulb halves (along with any unpeeled individual cloves) in a shallow baking dish just wide enough to hold them in a single layer. If you’d like to add a few sprigs of fresh herbs this would be the time to do it.
• Pour enough olive oil into the dish to just cover the garlic. You want all of the garlic submerged.
• Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in a 200°f oven. Let the garlic cook for 2-3 hours, until it’s lightly colored and the cloves are very soft when poked with the tip of a sharp knife.
• Ovens vary, as will the size and variety of your garlic, so start checking it at the 2 hour mark.

Once It’s Cooked…

• Once your garlic is cooked, uncover it and let it stand until it’s cool enough to handle.
• Remove the garlic from the oil and squeeze the cloves out of their skins into another bowl. Place the cloves into your glass jar.

• Pour the oil through a mesh sieve over the cloves. The sieve will keep any papery skins out of the final confit. Store in the refrigerator.

And that’s it! You just made garlic confit. Wasn’t that easy???

How Should You Use Garlic Confit?

There are SO many ways to use garlic confit! Here are a few of my favorites:

• Blend into all kinds of sauces and soups like this Creamy Tomato Soup With Pesto and Caprese Crostinis

• Toss smashed cloves and garlic oil with hot pasta, fresh herbs, lemon zest and freshly shaved parmesan
• Blend into a vinaigrette
• Spread cloves on crusty bread…or just dip slices of bread in the oil (maybe swirled with some good balsamic and a few grinds of coarse cracked pepper YUMMMMM)
• Mash a few cloves with the oil and toss with roasted vegetables
• Use as a base for your next pizza night

The possibilities are endless! Keep in mind that olive oil will solidify in the refrigerator, so just scoop out what you need as you need it, the oil will liquify again quickly!

How To Store Garlic Confit

Proper storage of garlic confit is really important. If it’s not stored properly there is a risk of botulism- and that’s not something you want to mess around with! I’ve found lots of different opinions on just how long you can keep it- everything from “it keeps for several months” to “use it within two weeks”. What they ALL agree on is that you need to keep it in the refrigerator. Do NOT store garlic confit at room temperature.

So how long IS ok? When it comes to food safety I think it’s smartest to err on the side of caution, so I recommend sticking to the two week rule. And if you want to keep it longer? Scoop spoonfuls into ice cube trays and freeze. It will keep for several months this way!

A few more tips:

• Store in a clean glass jar that seals tightly
• Make sure the garlic is always completely covered by the oil
• Scoop out what you need with a clean spoon and return it to the refrigerator immediately

As always, I love to hear how my recipes turn out for you and I especially love to see your pictures! Tag me on IG or FB @breathingandcooking with your creations!

And don’t forget to breath, trust yourself…and enjoy the process