When life gives you garlic, make garlic confit!

Garlic confit, which is cloves of garlic that one cooks in oil on low heat until softened, is easy, delicious and useful. The recipe below from Le Cordon Bleu and many other sources requires time and attention but very little skill. Your reward is unctuous cloves of mild yet flavorful, spreadable garlic which will keep awhile in the fridge along with its delicious garlic-infused olive oil.

I have several small variations from the original recipe and concept. I mix olive oil and canola oil, because it's cheaper and the garlic-infused taste makes it hard to taste the green, fresh taste of pure olive oil anyway. I halve the recipe, since I don't want to keep 80 garlic cloves in my fridge at once. I add water or red-wine vinegar and mash the cloves to make a delectable thick sauce to spread on bread, mix in with pasta or vegetables, bake with meats and use as a springboard for vinaigrette or garlicky mayonnaise.

Below is my version, followed by Le Cordon Bleu's recipe.

Garlic Confit Sauce
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup red wine or sherry vinegar
About 30 cloves peeled whole garlic
3 whole black peppercorns
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 fresh bay leaf
½ teaspoon kosher salt

In a deep skillet-size saucepan (mine is about 10 inches in diameter and 2-3 inches high) or dutch oven or 4-quart saucepan, place all ingredients. Do not cover. Start on medium-high heat until you see the first bubbles. Then turn down the heat to low to simmer-you still see small bubbles but they don't get bigger and bigger.When the liquid has almost cooked away, probably after 15 minutes, the garlic will look bigger and softer. It will smell like GARLIC. Stir gently, making sure most of the liquid is gone. Then cover and keep on low for about 20 more minutes. All the garlic should be soft. Take out thyme, bay leaf and peppercorn, if you like. Mash garlic cloves with a large fork. Let cool, then transfer into glass jars or bowls. It will make about 2 1/2 cups and will keep for at least a week in the fridge.

How to Make Garlic Confit-Le Cordon Bleu

One of the advantages of attending schools of culinary arts is learning cooking techniques that can be applied to any style of cooking.  One technique taught in culinary school is confit. 
Confit takes its name from the French word confire, meaning to preserve. Any similarities between the fruits and vegetables your grandmother puts up every autumn and garlic confit end right there. Traditional canning and preserving methods use vinegars and/or salts and sugars to preserve food.
Confit is a generic term to describe anything that is poached at a low temperature in a rendered fat. Duck confit, where duck legs are slowly cooked in duck fat, is probably the most famous example of it. For our money, however, the most delicious version of it is garlic confit.

Garlic Confit Recipe

Garlic confit and its garlic infused oil can be used on anything from homemade vinaigrettes to garlic bread and garlic mashed potatoes. The process of poaching garlic in oil is not that different from roasting garlic, where no oil is used. Both leave mellow and mild garlic cloves that can be spread on bread like butter, but with confit you also have the oil. Save it. After you’ve eaten all of the garlic, the infused oil can be added to nearly all of your favorite meat and vegetable dishes to add another layer of flavor.
This garlic confit recipe is filled with fresh ingredients and could not be simpler to make.
Ingredients:

• 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups peeled whole garlic (about 80 to 90 cloves)
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
• Combine garlic, oil, and seasonings in a braising pan or Dutch oven. Cover pan and cook for 1 hour or until the garlic becomes brown and tender
• Let cool completely and transfer to a glass jar for storage. It will last in the refrigerator up to two weeks. You can also use traditional canning and sterilization methods to keep it unopened on your shelf for up to six months 

http://www.chefs.edu/Student-Life/Culinary-Central/April-2012/How-To-Make-Garlic-Confit

Let Them Eat Steak! Recipes

Recipes from "Let Them Eat Steak"

Planning food for gatherings is one of my passions. I start planning, then fill the fridge with food and my mind with ideas. If there weren't so many demands for my time, things would be served on time at the table topped with elaborate tablescapes.

Good thing people are just happy to come together over good food and few formalities. Many people asked how we made the items served, so here are the recipes and how-to's.

Sangria 
2 1/2 bottles Sangiovese wine about $3/bottle at Trader Joe's (in states like VA where it's sold in stores), 1 bottle medium-dry sherry, also from Trader Joe's, 4 cups pomegranate juice, 2 cups raspberry wine, apple raspberry concentrate, 32 oz cherry juice, 1 can grape juice concentrate

Alcohol-Free Fruit Punch 
2 cups pomegranate juice, 1 can each apple, orange and pineapple juices concentrate, 1 cup cherry cider, 1/4 cup lime syrup. Dilute with ice, seltzer water


Kids’ Meal-Spaghetti ‘n’ Meatballs 
2 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs of parsley, stems removed
3 pounds cubed chuck stew meat
1 onion
1 piece of bread + 1/4 cup milk, mashed into a paste aka panade
1 small zucchini
Dried herbs/spices: Allspice, Oregano, Thyme, Black Pepper, Salt-a pinch of each per batch, and two pinches salt per pound of meat
Using a food processor, chop garlic and parsley. Reserve a spoonful for the pasta sauce.
If your food processor is 5 cups or  more, grind the meat:
Add no more than one pound of stew meat at one time, plus the percentage of ingredients. In this case, I used 3 pounds of meat, so added a third of the bread/milk mixture, 1/3 zucchini, 1/3 onion,
If you don't have a grinder or medium or large food processor (or patience), consider buying organic ground beef.
Make meatballs no more than 1-inch diameter (approximately your thumb and index finger making a circle). Bake in oven 350 for 30 minutes. You know it is done when all the liquid is clear an turning brown and thick. No pinkish liquid should be in the pan.  Add juices-aka everything at the bottom of the meatball pan(s)- with the tomato sauce.

Tomato-based Sauce:
1 chopped onion, puree 1 small zucchini and 1 red pepper (I roast them first). Add to 26-32 ounces of store-bought (or home-made) marinara or tomato-basil sauce and simmer (cook on low), covered for 20 minutes to one hour, stirring every 10 minutes. I keep some to the side in case someone does not eat meat.

Green Crunchy Broccoli with Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream, 1 clove garlic, chopped parsley, 1 teaspoon olive oil, garlic salt or sea salt, and or pepper to taste. Cook on high heat until liquid vigorously bubbles and starts turning golden yellow. To that add:
3-4 pounds FRESH broccoli. Frozen will not work! Cook 3-5 minutes until broccoli is coated, bright green and softening but still firm when tossed.

Spinach, Kale and Arugula
Rinse the following:
1 lb spinach, 1/2 pound kale wilted in boiling water and 12-16 oz arugula OR 8 oz mustard greens, chopped,  
Add 8 oz shredded carrot.
Heat a high-quality Italian dressing with 2 tsp. Dijon mustard or make your own vinaigrette with  olive oil and  red wine vinegar--30 seconds in microwave
. Add 1/2 cup Romano cheese. Toss vigorously to mix and wilt--greens will compact by over half and will be shiny dark green. Serve room temperature

Herbed mushrooms
Canola oil- 2 tablespoons
2 packs sliced "baby bella"or Cremini mushrooms maybe 5 ounces, each. Sells for $3 to $3.50/pack at Trader Joe's and add two pinches thyme, 1 onion, cracked black pepper and salt to taste (maybe 3 pinches). Cook over medium high heat until all moisture has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Then sautee another 10 minutes, until some mushrooms begin to get crispy brown wdges.

Sautéed Potatoes 
Yukon Gold (used 5 pounds)--can almost always find at Whole Foods, Giant and Harris Teeter (usually not at Costco or Shoppers), . Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 pieces-will make wedges.Toss with 1/3 cup olive oil, sea salt, fresh rosemary, parsley, thyme and fresh chopped garlic. Lay out in single layer on baking sheet lightly greased. Bake at 400 degrees 35 minutes or until underside starts turning light brown. The herbs will be darker and crispy but not burnt. Wait a few minutes before transferring potatoes; they will stick less.

Open-faced Garlic Bread
Generously slather French bread rolls cut in half with herb-garlic butter. Bake at 375-400 8 minutes, until the amazing smell drives you crazy.

Grilled Tilapia
Ours stuck to the grill but was still delicious; used 2.5 pounds fish
Spanish marinade: 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 pinches smoked paprika, garlic salt to taste, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil, 21/4 cup butter, dash hot pepper sauce like Sriracha or Tabasco.

Feature: Steak 
Grilled to medium, served with steak sauce and herb-garlic butter. 

Steak Sauce 
In 2 cups water, boil mix of 2-inch square tamarind paste, 1/4 cup miso (or 1/4 cup soy sauce), 2 onions, 2 tablespoons pickling spice, garlic salt, 2 small spoons orange peel, 1 small spoon cinnamon, dash orange juice, dash red wine vinegar.  cook on high for 30 minutes. Strain, then add 1 bottle Ketchup base, 3 large spoons Dijon mustard, dash sweet chili sauce, 2 shakes pepper sauce, 1 teaspoon horseradish.

Herb-Garlic Butter
3 sticks softened butter, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 5 cloves garlic, 1/3 small onion (optional),  4 sprigs parsley, 10 blades rosemary, 2 pinches dried (3 pinches fresh chopped) thyme. In food processor, beat butter sticks. Then drizzle in olive oil, then cream. Drop in garlic, onion, and herbs until just turning light green and creamy. Can use with steaks, bread, and even potatoes and fish. Later on, use to sauté vegetables, pasta, rice, and main dish foods.

Tropical Fruit Salad 
cut fresh pineapple (3 cups), strawberry (3 cups), papaya (2 cups) and 2 large spoonfuls elderflower syrup, sold at IKEA.