Garlic Confit

Garlic confit is an extremely handy flavor booster to have in the refrigerator. Not only can the creamy, sweet garlic cloves can be added to salad dressings, pan sauces, compound butters or simply smeared onto crusty bread, the aromatic oil is great drizzled onto soup, pasta and pizza, can be used to sauté vegetables or is a simple way to add flavor to cooked grains. Feel free to change up the flavorings in the confit—for instance, you may wish to use rosemary instead of thyme, toss in a couple dried whole chilies or add a strip or two of lemon zest.