Equipment
Ingredients
Produce & Aromatics
- 500 g cherry tomatoes, washed and thoroughly dried
- 1 garlic, whole head, separated and peeled
- 2 fresh rosemary, whole sprigs
Pantry & Seasonings
- 250 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
- 2 g red chili flakes
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 302 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbohydrates
- 5 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 293 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 23 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Potassium
- 205 mg
- Calcium
- 13 mg
- Iron
- 0.6 mg
- Magnesium
- 2 mg
- Phosphorus
- 8 mg
- Zinc
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin E
- 4.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 19 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.01 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.01 mg
- Niacin
- 0.0 mg
- Folate
- 1 mcg
- Water
- 3 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 120C or 250F. Ensure the baking dish you plan to use is perfectly clean and dry.
Peel the garlic cloves, keeping them entirely whole to prevent them from burning during the long cooking process.
Arrange the cherry tomatoes, peeled garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs, and red chili flakes in a small baking dish. They should fit snugly in a single, tight layer.
Pour the extra virgin olive oil over the ingredients until they are mostly submerged. Sprinkle evenly with the kosher salt and black pepper.
Roast uncovered in the preheated oven for 2 hours, or until the tomatoes are deeply wrinkled and the garlic cloves are buttery soft and spreadable.
Remove the dish from the oven and allow the confit to cool in the pan at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Transfer the cooled tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and all the infused oil into a clean glass jar, seal tightly, and transfer to the refrigerator.
Chef's Notes
- Safety critical: Garlic stored in oil creates a low-oxygen environment which can harbor botulism spores if kept at room temperature. You must store this confit in the refrigerator and discard any leftovers after two weeks.
- The remaining infused olive oil is culinary gold. When the tomatoes and garlic are gone, use the oil to dress fresh greens, dip crusty sourdough, or fry your morning eggs.
- Real extra virgin olive oil will solidify in the refrigerator. To use the confit, spoon out what you need and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
- If your baking dish is slightly too large, you may need additional olive oil to properly submerge the ingredients. Do not skimp on the oil, as it is the primary cooking medium.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 weeks — Must be refrigerated immediately after cooling due to garlic botulism risk. Keep ingredients fully submerged in oil.
Freezer: 3 months — Oil will solidify and tomatoes may lose some structural integrity but flavor remains excellent.
Troubleshooting
Garlic cloves turn brown and hard instead of meltingly soft
Cause: Oven temperature was too high or garlic was exposed above the oil line
Fix: Cannot be fixed once browned, but discard deeply blackened cloves as they will impart a bitter flavor to the oil
Prevention: Verify oven calibration with a standalone thermometer and tuck garlic cloves underneath tomatoes or push them fully into the oil pool before roasting
Oil splatters violently in the oven
Cause: Tomatoes were wet before roasting
Fix: Reduce oven temperature slightly and proceed
Prevention: Thoroughly dry all produce and herbs after washing
Cultural Context
Confit is a traditional preservation technique originating in France, typically utilizing animal fats. Across Mediterranean cuisines, this method was adapted to use abundant local olive oil to preserve late-summer harvests like tomatoes and garlic, allowing households to enjoy the vibrant, concentrated flavors of summer produce throughout the darker winter months.
