Garlic Confit

Garlic Confit is garlic slow roasted in olive oil. This recipe produces soft and creamy garlic cloves which spread nicely over toasted bread. Also, the olive oil used for cooking the garlic becomes a flavorful garlic infused olive oil. Confit Garlic is not only delicious but, with just 3 ingredients, learning How to Make Garlic Confit is very simple!

What Does Confit Mean?

Confit, pronounced “Con-fee”, is a French term that describes a technique of cooking food for the purpose of preserving it. When food is cooked using this technique, bacteria is killed by the heat and then the food is stored in the liquids wherein it was cooked thereby creating a barrier to lock out any further bacterial contamination. In this case, we cook our garlic in olive oil and thus we store it in the olive oil.

Two Recipes In One?

The best part about this Garlic Confit Recipe is that you not only end up with rich, creamy, soft garlic cloves which can be used as a spread but the oil used to cook the garlic now becomes a garlic infused olive oil which can be added to many different sauces and dressings.

This Garlic Confit Recipe is made with only 3 simple ingredients and very little cleanup; all ingredients go into one baking dish. The only preparation required is the peeling of garlic which can be done without much effort if you follow my garlic peeling tips below.

Ingredients

• Garlic – I use organic garlic. Garlic is extremely healthy; packed with nutrients and antioxidants, I use it in as many recipes as I can.
• Olive oil – I use only extra virgin olive oil. The flavor is much smoother.
• Rosemary – Use only fresh rosemary. You can also use other herbs for this recipe.

How To Make Garlic Confit

1. Preheat oven to 200 °F.
2. Peel garlic. Peal garlic by first breaking each head of garlic into individual cloves and then peel the cloves by shaking them in a sealed mason jar.
3. Bake garlic. Place peeled garlic, olive oil, and rosemary into a baking dish and bake for about 2 hours until garlic is tender and becomes golden in color but not brown.
4. Serve. Remove baking dish and discard rosemary sprig. Serve confit warm or let cool and then pour into a large sealed mason jar to be refrigerated.

How To Peel Garlic

1. Place head of garlic onto a flat surface such as a countertop or cutting board. Place the palm of your dominant hand on top of the head of garlic. Take your free hand and place it on top of your dominant hand for support. Press down with your weight onto the head of garlic which should open up the head of garlic allowing individual cloves to become loose.
2. Add individual cloves into a large sealed mason jar. Then shake feverishly for 30 seconds to a minute. You will want to make sure that you don’t put so many cloves into the jar that it’s packed; there should be enough space for each clove to fly around inside the jar and hit the sides of the glass.
3. Using your hands, remove any loose peels that remain attached.

Please note, this is not a perfect technique; some garlic cloves are tougher than others. If you have to, use a knife to create a small slit in the peel.

How To Pick The Best Garlic?

The best way to pick garlic is by using your eyes. You’ll notice some garlic heads are shriveled or beginning to brown. You want firm bulbs with white peel. Finally, use your hands to gently squeeze the garlic bulb; it should feel firm, not dried out or soft.

Recipe Variations

You can experiment with different fresh herbs like thyme or oregano. Add some heat by including red pepper flakes, peppercorns, or chilis.

Recipe Tips

• Make sure to check your confit as it’s cooking to make sure it doesn’t become too brown. Again, the color of well cooked confit is golden.
• When done cooking, remove rosemary and any other herbs you use. If you keep them in, the oil will become bitter.
• Be careful when removing the herbs right after you take the confit out of the oven because the oil is extremely hot and you can burn yourself. Use tongs or some other device to remove the herbs from the oil. Do not use your hands.
• For health safety purposes, only store confit in the refrigerator and do not let it sit out.

What Is Confit Garlic Used For?

This recipe can be used to enhance the flavor of so many different dishes. While I love just spreading it over some good crackers or toasted French bread, here are some suggestions.

• Garlic mashed potatoes. Add a few tablespoons of confit to your mashed potatoes to make creamy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes.
• As a spread. Roasted garlic spreads perfectly over toasted bread and crackers.
• Hummus. Add it to your hummus to make creamy roasted garlic hummus.
• Dressings. Use as a flavor base for dressings.
• Italian dishes. Add it to your favorite pasta dishes and sauces like our Homemade Marinara Sauce and Pasta Primavera.
• Burgers and sandwiches. As a spread for your favorite burger or sandwich.
• Soups. Use it to flavor your favorite soups such as White Bean Tomato Soup, Vegan Red Lentil Soup, or Ribollita Soup.

Storing Tips

For health purposes, only store Confit Garlic in the refrigerator in a sealed container. This recipe will stay good for a week in the fridge. You can also freeze it by placing the liquids in a freezer container for up to 2 months.

Is This Recipe Healthy?

There are only two main ingredients in this Garlic Confit Recipe, garlic and olive oil, both of which are healthy. Let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of garlic and olive oil.

• Studies have demonstrated that garlic has medicinal properties which help fight off the common cold.(1)
• Studies have also shown that garlic supplements can help reduce high blood pressure.(2)
• Garlic may help promote heart health by reducing harmful cholesterol levels.
• Garlic is also a great source of antioxidants which helps to reduce oxidative damage caused by free radicals.
• Olive oil is a great source of antioxidants and contains anti-inflammatory properties.
• Olive oil also believed to be beneficial for lowering high blood pressure and preventative against blood clotting.

I hope you enjoyed this Garlic Confit recipe, it’s one of my absolute favorites! Here are some more recipes you’ll love!

More Recipes For Garlic Lovers

• Garlic Wedge Fries
• Garlic Oil
• Lemon Garlic Aioli