Sweet Cherry Tomato Confit with Garlic and Thyme
I’ve been waiting to share this with you and I’m so excited to finally get the recipe up on the website! Tomato confit just might be the most versatile condiment ever!! It goes with literally everything!
I’m pretty sure an easier condiment recipe doesn’t exist! Fresh tomatoes are cooked with garlic cloves, fresh thyme sprigs, and extra virgin olive oil. That’s it……so easy, right?
This cooking technique enhances the sweet flavor of the tomatoes, and the garlic and herbs add a freshness and garlicky flavor that’s ridiculously delicious!
Add this tomato confit to charcuterie boards, scrambled eggs, grilled steaks or poached fish to infuse each dish with massive flavor. This is such a delicious way to preserve gorgeous summer tomatoes!
It’s Summer which means it’s also the height of tomato season!
If you have an overabundance of tomatoes in your garden, or overbought at the farmer’s market (it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me!) , this is the best way to preserve them.
Usually, tomatoes are cooked at very low temperature. But that takes 2 hours, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t have that kind of time. Even as an empty nester, 2 hours is a long time!! !
I tried making this at a high temperature and it worked beautifully. And, BONUS, only took ONE hour instead of 2.
Small tomatoes work the best, so use either ripe cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. Plum tomatoes and Roma tomatoes will work, but stay away from canned tomatoes. With this recipe fresh is absolutely best.
What is confit?
Confit is a French term (pronounced Kon-Fee) where you slowly cook food in fat or liquid to preserve it. The word “confit” comes from the French word “preserve” and, in my opinion, is a much easier way to preserve food than canning.
With canning you need to deal with sterilizing jars, sealing them, submerging them in water…..there are lots of steps! To confit an ingredient, all you need is a large dish, fresh herbs, and olive oil, and it all gets cooked on very low heat in the oven. Or, in this recipe, high heat.
For this confit recipe, small tomatoes (cherry or grape), garlic, fresh thyme and extra-virgin olive oil are added to 9×13 oven-safe dish and cooked for about an hour. The tomatoes will shrink and shrivel and release their juices. When this happens they’ll burst and become incredibly sweet. And that’s when the magic happens!
Tips for making tomato confit:
- Place the tomatoes, garlic, and thyme in a single layer in a small baking dish (if you’re making a large batch, you might need a larger baking dish).
- Sprinkle with kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Use high quality olive oil. You’ll be creating a bath of olive oil, so you do want to use a high-quality one. If you live in the US, the Kirkland brand Italian Olive Oil at Costco is economical and high quality.
- Bake at 400 degrees for the first 30-45 minutes, then turn down to 350 for an additional 15 minutes.
- Remove garlic cloves and let cool, until you can comfortably handle them.
- Squeeze garlic out of its peel, and mash with a fork to blend back into the flavored oil.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
What kind of tomatoes work best:
Whole cherry tomatoes – makes life so much easier when you don’t have to cut them in half! Use the smaller cherry tomatoes for extra sweetness. I love using yellow and red for extra color.
Heirloom tomatoes – these will work if you cut them into 1 inch pieces.
Roma tomatoes, cut in quarters
The best things about this recipe:
It’s easy to make and incredibly versatile!
This cooking technique creates tons of flavor!
Add it to a variety of different dishes to build flavor!
Will keep in your fridge for up to a month!
Favorite ways to use confit:
- Spoon it over scrambled eggs or Poached Egg with Spinach and Shallot
- Use it as a base for elevated eggs benedict
- Mix into homemade ricotta or goat cheese and serve with crostini or toasted baguette
- Spoon over grilled steaks and chicken
- Serve with roasted fish or grilled fish
- Swirl into pasta like this Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi with kale and tomatoes
- Use as a layer in lasagne
- For cottage cheese lovers, spoon some on top for an out-of-this-world snack
What to do with the leftover confit flavored oil:
Be sure to save the oil! A fantastic way to use the oil that is infused with the flavor of the sweet tomatoes, is adding it to salad dressing, drizzling it over vegetables before roasting or over a grain bowl, using it when sautéing veggies and a substitute for regular extra-virgin olive oil.
What other ingredients work in confit:
Lemon zest
Balsamic vinegar
Fresh rosemary
Red pepper flakes
How to store tomato confit:
Spoon it into an airtight jar and it should last 3-4 weeks in your fridge. Although, because this makes the most amazing condiment, it will most likely never last that long. At least it never has in my house!
When you store it in your fridge, the olive oil will solidify. Take it out 15 minutes before serving to allow the oil to get to room temperature. As it warms up it will become liquid again.
I hope you try this sweet cherry tomato confit recipe — it’s sure to become your go to favorite summer condiment!
Other Recipes to use Tomato Confit With:
Crispy Crunchy Sweet and Spicy Chicken
Orecchiette with Peas and Prosciutto