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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!

Overhead of tomato confit with garlic in glass baking dish

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! 

overhead of cut tomatoes with garlic, herbs and olive oil in glass baking dish

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.
overhead of golden tomatoes in basket

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!

overhead of 3 slices of toast with tomato confit on black background

Favorite ways to use confit:

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.

close up overhead of small red cherry tomatoes on sheet pan with rosemary

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:

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Crispy Crunchy Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Salmon with Sauce Verte

Orecchiette with Peas and Prosciutto

Overhead shot of breaded chicken with asparagus, topped with tomato confit on patterned plate

Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe with Tomato Confit

A tasty twist on the traditional that substitutes tomato confit for marinara sauce, adds plenty of seasonings to the flour and breadcrumbs to elevate the flavor and makes for a delicious dinner when you're craving a crunchy, flavorful chicken dinner!
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Course: casual dinner, chicken dinner, weeknight dinner
Cuisine: dinner, Italian
Keyword: chicken dinner, chicken parmesan, easy chicken dinner
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken breasts, pounded thin
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

For Tomato Confit

  • 4 tomatoes quartered (you can use Roma, large tomatoes or cherry tomatoes)
  • 6 whole garlic cloves, in or out of their paper layer
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • sprinkle red pepper flakes, optional if you like a bit of heat

Instructions

  • Thanks so much for stopping by! If you have any questions about this recipe, scroll on up for some FAQs! Don't forget to leave a comment and review……Happy Cooking!
  • Place saran wrap on a clean surface. I use my kitchen counter, but you can use a table or island, but be sure it's sturdy enough to withstand pounding the chicken. Be sure saran wrap covers the entire surface, then place the chicken on the surface, and spread it out because the chicken will spread as you pound it to create thin pieces. Cover the chicken with saran wrap, and use a mallet or rolling pin to pound the pieces until they are 1/4-1/2 inch thick.
  • Once all your pieces of chicken are pounded thin, assemble your flour, egg and breadcrumb ingredients and place a sheet pan on the counter.
  • I like to use shallow bowls or Pyrex dishes. Add flour and smoked paprika to one dish. In the 2nd dish, add the 2 eggs. In the 3rd dish, add the breadcrumbs, dried thyme and dried rosemary.
  • Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
  • Dredge the chicken through the flour, on both sides, and gently shake off any excess flour.
  • Dip chicken, on both sides, in the egg wash. Before moving on to the breadcrumbs, let excess egg wash fall back into the dish.
  • Gently press chicken, on both sides, into bread crumb mixture. When finished, place on sheet pan and go through the breading process again until all the chicken is breaded.
  • Before cooking, get another sheet pan or large platter and place a rack on top. This is where you'll put the cooked chicken to keep it crunchy until you're ready to serve. If you place the cooked chicken directly on a sheet pan, the bottom will get soggy because it will steam from the heat. And that's not what we want.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan, and when it shimmers and easily slides over the pan, it's time to add the chicken.
  • Depending on how big your chicken is, you may have to cook it in batches. Add chicken to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until its golden brown.
  • While chicken is warm, sprinkle with Maldon salt and grated lemon zest.
  • Spoon tomato confit on top and serve while hot.

For Tomato Confit

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • In an oven safe gratin dish, pie dish or Pyrex, add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Add enough olive oil to completely coat and cover the tomatoes.
  • Cook until the tomatoes get shriveled up and the oil is bubbling – about 30-45 minutes. My oven runs hot, so I start it at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes, and then turn it down to 350 degrees F for an additional 15 minutes. Keep an eye because you don't want the tomatoes to burn. It's ok if they get a bit brown and golden, though.
  • Remove from oven and use a fork to mash the garlic into a paste (this will be very easy!) and mix it into the confit.
  • If you've kept the cloves in their paper, carefully remove from the baking dish with a fork and let them cool. When you can safely handle them, press on the end to squeeze the clove out of the paper. Add the clove to the baking dish with the tomatoes, and gently press with a fork to mash.
  • You will probably use up all the tomatoes and have leftover flavored olive oil. This olive oil is liquid gold!! Use it in salad dressings, drizzle over vegetables before roasting, use it to sauté fish or scramble eggs.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature.
Have you made this recipe?I’d love to know! Leave a comment or recipe rating and tag me @amenuforyou on social media!

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