Most of the time I think tomatoes are one of nature's most perfect foods. Rarely can anything beat a fresh, ripe tomato (sprinkled with a little salt and pepper). Straight from a garden, with that dusty flavor of sunshine, I could eat them like apples. I think it's a shame to do anything to them. However, there are times when cooking is a necessity, or a luxury. Perhaps when tomato season begins to wane, or maybe at the height of it with a bumper crop, it's time to turn the heat up.
Aside from being an amazingly delicious thing to do to a tomato, this is one of those recipes that you can turn into anything. A foundation recipe, if you will, on which to build a food empire. Confit actually refers to a technique of preserving food, either in salt, sugar, oil, or vinegar (so far as I can tell), but most often "confit" conjures up the taste of tender and rich meat slowly cooked in its own fat (or that of a more generous species).
These tomatoes confit are cooked in a bit of olive oil, not enough to drown them, but just enough so that the oil and tomato juices create a nectar-like emulsion as the liquid concentrates in the oven. A few cloves of garlic thrown into the pan never hurt either.
What to do with all this goodness? Toast some rustic bread and top with the tomatoes; stir in some plump cannellini beans; spoon some onto a delicate white fish. The possibilities are nearly endless.
Tomato confit
Tomatoes (cherry tomatoes or quartered Roma tomatoes)
A few cloves of garlic
Olive oil to coat (about 1/4 C. for an 8" pan)
Sprigs of rosemary or thyme if on hand
Toss tomatoes in olive oil in pan. Add in garlic and herbs if using. Bake at 300 for an hour or so, until tomatoes are collapsed and tender.
13 comments:
I was at a cooking demo and the chef told us about drying cherry tomatoes for pizza. They were HEAVEN, and I don't care much for tomato as a rule. My hubs would love this dish. Pretty pics!
You could do all sorts of things with it, including eating it by the spoonful! That looks so delicious.
Oh my, your confit is completely transcendental... I was floating away, reading your incredible description! SO gorgeous!
Using this with fish and beans sounds really hearty, yet easy and light. Love that.
wow! that looks so good! i love tomatoes!
oh i love this idea- tomatoes and olive oil....you just can't beat it!
This sounds delightful! Your suggestion to serve with white beans is a great idea.
mmm, i love it, especially with all that garlic!
I love tomatoes. Fresh, cooked, sliced, chopped, in a sauce. The flavor is simply divine. I'm keeping your recipe for the confit in my cookbook. You're right, the uses are endless. :)
Cheers to a perfect food the tomato! The photo of your confit is really quite inviting. Roasting them and then spreading on some crusty rustic bread, absolutely divine.
Very nice blog post!
beautiful on all levels - I would sure love some of this right now but more so in January!
Oh yum. So simple, so perfect. And just beautiful.
Looks great!
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