Although garlic is available year-round, fresh summer garlic has large cloves that are especially sweet and juicy. To preserve it, former F&W editor Grace Parisi simmers the cloves with dried red chiles and fresh thyme in olive oil until tender, then packs them in the oil.
The most challenging part of making garlic confit is simply having to peel the garlic, which is another reason you'll want to choose heads with fewer, larger cloves. We promise it'll be worth your effort, though. Unlike traditional oven-roasted garlic, garlic confit roasts slowly in oil, which minimizes browning to yield a sweeter, more mellow garlic flavor.
Though this garlic confit recipe calls for thyme and bay leaves, you can customize the flavor notes by swapping these out for other herbs or by omitting them altogether. We like the marriage of garlic with olive oil, but there's no reason not to try this with another neutral vegetable oil, such as grapeseed.
When you're finished cooking the garlic, not only will you have a sweet, spreadable condiment, but you'll also have a lovely garlic-infused oil to use as you like. It's wonderful for dipping bread or incorporating into salad dressing. As for the confit, its applications are nearly limitless. Perhaps mash it in butter and spread it on toast, or slip it under chicken skin before roasting. There's no wrong way to use it: Pair it with anything that could benefit from smooth garlicky goodness.
Once you've jarred your garlic confit, be sure to keep it in the fridge — never at room temperature — as there's no acid here to safeguard against bacteria. Feel free to freeze it for extended storage.
