Well, I have been trying hard to get myself up to speed with my recipes. Although I have been cooking a lot and photographing some of it, I have not been able to sit down and organize. Thanksgiving is upon us and I really wanted to share this recipe, since it can be a great addition to mashed potatoes, a salad dressing, or a great spread for bread in place of butter. I always love to have some garlic confit on hand, especially during the holidays. Sometimes a recipe to make another recipe better (also called sub-recipe) could be the real secret of a dish.

One of the things I value the most in a cookbook is not necessarily the recipes, but how much I can learn from it. I am always looking to learn new cooking methods. I really enjoy reading a cookbook that challenges my imagination and my abilities in the kitchen, making me a better cook. That’s why I am so obsessed with Thomas Keller’s books, it’s like a cooking class right in the comfort of my couch while I sip my coffee on Sunday mornings. I adapted this recipe from his book Ad Hoc at Home.

I have made this recipe with the stove top method few times, it takes 40 to 50 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes; basically, you must stay on top of it to make sure the temperature of the oil doesn’t go up. Confit is the term used to describe something that has been cooked most commonly in fat, slowly, for a long period of time. When I realized that using the crockpot may help keep the oil at the same temperature, I thought I’d give it a try, and it worked.

When the garlic cooks slowly in the oil it becomes very tender, with a subtle sweetness, and a very rich texture. I keep a jar of garlic confit in my fridge. I stir it into my salad dressings, spread it on bread, smother it on top of a grill steak, mix it in with butter… I could just keep going, it seriously has many uses and it is very addictive. Try it once, you’ll love it forever!!!

Ingredients
5 heads of garlic
Canola oil

Cook’s note: You can make as much or as little garlic confit as you prefer, using a crockpot I would recommend at least 5 heads of garlic. Notice there is no measure for the oil, you will need enough oil to cover the garlic completely, the amount will vary.

Peel the garlic cloves and cut off the root end. Place garlic in a crock pot. Cover with canola oil, the oil should be about 1 inch over the garlic, all the cloves should be submerged in oil. Cook on the lowest setting for 3 hours, stirring every hour. The garlic should be very tender. Let the garlic cool in the oil. Transfer the garlic to a glass jar, cover with enough oil. Keep refrigerated! Strain the remainder garlic oil and use it on salad dressing, marinades, pasta sauces, or soups.  Garlic confit and garlic oil can last up to 1 month in the fridge.