Shallot, Garlic and Tomato Confit

This is an homage to the chefs who encourage stocking the larder with inspired elements that push more creative thinking and less reliance on recipes. Confits have changed my kitchen forever and are so freakin’ easy that I can’t believe it took me 20 years of cooking to get to them. These gems are from Travis Lett of Gjelina. But I also wanted to shout out to Sally Schneider and Russell Moore who have equally inspired more improvisation and less fear of fucking up a dish. If you only try one of these, do the shallot confit. Shallot oil in any salad dressing uplifts an everyday salad to restaurant worthy greatness. Omelets, potatoes, grilled bread and fish featuring the shallot confit are showstoppers. I’ll post recipes over the next few weeks that highlight these confits but, seriously, just make them and start playing.

In the meantime, try summer breakfast salad with confit tomatoes here.

[lt_recipe name=”Shallot Confit” summary=”from Gjelina” print=”yes” ingredients=”2 1/2 lbs shallots, peeled and halved;3 cups extra virgin olive oil;6 fresh thyme sprigs;2 bay leaves crushed;” ]Preheat the oven to 350.;Put shallots in an ovenproof dish with the oil, thyme and bay leaves and cover tightly with foil;Bake until shallots are tender and taste sweet, 45 minutes to 1 hour;When cool transfer to an airtight container and make sure shallots are completely covered with oil. Add more oil if needed.;Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.;[/lt_recipe]

[lt_recipe name=”Garlic Confit” summary=”from Gjelina” print=”yes” ingredients=”8 heads of garlic, cloves separated and peeled;2 cups extra virgin olive oil;12 fresh thyme sprigs;3 bay leaves, bruised;” ]Preheat the oven to 350.;Put garlic in an ovenproof dish with the oil, thyme and bay leaves. The garlic should be covered by about an inch of oil. Add more if needed. Cover tightly with foil;Bake until garlic cloves are are soft, fragrant and lightly browned, 45 minutes to 1 hour;Let cool to room temperature and transfer to an airtight container.  Make sure garlic is completely covered with oil. Add more oil if needed.;Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.;[/lt_recipe]

[lt_recipe name=”Tomato Confit” summary=”from Gjelina” print=”yes” ingredients=”2 pints cherry tomatoes;2 cups extra virgin olive oil;4 garlic cloves, smashed;1/2 cup basil leaves;1 tsp kosher salt;3 fresh thyme sprigs;” ]Preheat the oven to 350.;Bring a pot of water to boil and prepare an ice bath. Cut a small x in the bottom of each cherry tomato. Plunge tomatoes into boiling water for 30 secs then drain and plunge in ice water. Remove from ice water and pop the skins off.;Put tomatoes in an ovenproof dish with the oil, garlic, basil, salt and thyme and cover tightly with foil;Bake for 30 minutes until oil is hot but tomatoes remain whole;When cool transfer to an airtight container and make sure shallots are completely covered with oil. Add more oil if needed.;Store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.;[/lt_recipe]