Cherry tomato confit – slow roasted cherry tomatoes in a bath of olive oil, fresh garlic and fragrant herbs, absolutely bursting in flavor.
Cherry tomatoes in December?
Truth be told… my cherry tomato plants are still pumping out loads of them, despite the fact that other areas of the country are shoveling snow. Want me to let you in a secret? I’ll take tomatoes in December over shoveling snow any day!
After several years of gardening and growing everything from tomatoes to radishes, zucchini and cucumbers, I thoroughly enjoy canning and preserving my garden harvest.
When I can harvest cherry tomatoes in mid-December – that’s a glorious thing. In other areas of the country, it might be cold and snowy. But here in Arizona, my tomato plants are still pumping out some beautiful colors.
This cherry tomato confit is a great way to preserve a bunch of tomatoes.
What is Cherry Tomato Confit?
Cherry tomato confit means that the cherry tomatoes have been cooked and preserved in fat (in this case, olive oil). I loaded up my cherry tomatoes in shallow baking pans and slow roasted them at a low temp. With some crushed garlic, a few sprigs of fresh herbs, a kick of sea salt and a few drizzles of olive oil, the tomatoes transform into a rich and flavorful concoction that’s perfect for sourdough bread.
There are so many ways to use tomato confit. Toss it on your pasta, dress up your pizza, focaccia, or use it to top a toasted baguette.
Cherry tomato confit can be made in abundance and frozen in freezer-proof storage containers.
When the time is right and you’re in the mood for something delicious and comforting, this is it.
This cherry tomato confit was roasted with a mixture of fresh herbs. Think oregano, flat leaf parsley, thyme, rosemary and basil.
You can easily customize your confit to suit your taste with different herbs depending on the season.
If you plan to enjoy this confit over the course of a week or two, the refrigerator is the best way to keep it fresh. But if time is limited and you need to, then the freezer is a great way to preserve .
Roast up a generous batch and freeze in smaller sized portions. If anything, it’ll be a wonderful, comforting way to enjoy a rather cold, dim winter.
Cherry Tomato Confit
Ingredients
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 C olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt or more as needed
- 5 C cherry tomatoes stems removed
- 4 sprigs rosemary fresh
- 10 leaves basil fresh
- 5 sprigs thyme fresh
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.
- Place the tomatoes in a single layer in a shallow baking pan. Season with sea salt and top with your fresh herbs. Generously drizzle in olive oil.
- Bake at 250 degrees F for 3 hours or until the tomatoes start to shrink around the edges and get soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Take out the garlic and herbs and discard (or compost). Place the tomato confit in glass jars and top off with olive oil before refrigerating.
- Once refrigerated, the olive oil will harden in the jars. Before serving, remove from the refrigerator and bring the confit to room temperature.
- Tomato Confit is best served atop grilled bread with a poached egg or egg cooked over easy.
Nutrition
If you give this recipe a try, please leave a comment, rate the recipe and be sure to tag me on Instagram!
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[…] There are so many great things about the winter here in Arizona. While other areas of the country dig out from snowy driveways and yards, we tend to enjoy temps in the 50’s and 60’s. Many of our plants thrive year round despite the cooler winter temps. Tomatoes actually prosper much more in the cooler temps than in the heat of the summer, lending way to loads of tomato confit. […]