roasted cherry tomato confit

One more way to enjoy those abundant summer tomatoes. Make this amazing Roasted Cherry Tomato Confit a part of your next antipasti tray. Toss those roasted beauties with some pasta. Or use them as a topping on grilled meat or fish.

We recently enjoyed them as a topping on sautéed broccoli rabe. And don’t forget about finishing off your pizza with some. The possibilities are endless.

The roasting time is lengthy at about two hours. It’s a slow roast. But the hands-on time is just ten minutes. That works for me.

So what does the term – confit – mean?

Confit comes from the French word confire, which literally means “to preserve.” It refers to any type of food that is cooked slowly over a long period as a method of preservation. When referencing it as a cooking term, confit describes when food is cooked in grease, oil or sugar water, at a lower temperature, as opposed to deep frying.

There’s an interesting article at Serious Eats that details the preservation benefits of this type of food preparation.

The list of ingredients is a short one with very little prep.

• Assorted cherry and/or grape tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Garlic cloves
• Fresh thyme sprigs

Really, slicing the garlic cloves is the most extensive task on this one. Here’s a little hint on peeling that garlic …trim the ends of each clove, place them in a lidded jar or container and shake vigorously for about a minute.

You’ll find that the skin literally falls away from each clove and they’re ready to be sliced up.

• Spread the tomatoes out on a baking sheet.
• Then add the remaining ingredients.
• Mix it all up – right there on the tray.
• Place in the preheated oven and in two hours, you have a tray of deliciousness.

Check out the before and after images…

After two hours in a low oven…

Pretty amazing, right?

• Serve them right away if you like.
• Or save them to be used over the next month.

• Discard the thyme sprigs along with any random tomato stems.
• Store the tomatoes in a jar along with the accumulated pan juices.
• If necessary, top off with additional olive oil to ensure that the roasted tomatoes are fully immersed.
• At this point, feel free to add your favorite fresh herbs to the mix, such as oregano, basil, thyme and/or parsley.

How long will your Roasted Cherry Tomato Confit last in the fridge?

As long as the tomatoes are stored in an airtight container, fully immersed in olive oil, the confit will last for up to one month in the fridge. Be sure to bring the roasted cherry tomato confit to room temperature before serving.

If you have a large summer crop of cherry tomatoes, you need to give this a try.

Store the Roasted Cherry Tomato Confit in smallish glass jars and share with your family and friends. They’ll most certainly thank you for it.

Print

roasted cherry tomato confit

Adapted from Cooking Light

Flavorful topping for bruschetta, pasta or pizza.

Servings 5 cups

Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

• 3 pounds assorted cherry and/or grape tomatoes
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus more, if necessary for storing)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled & sliced
• 8 large thyme sprigs
• additional fresh herbs, if desired

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 275°F.  Spread tomatoes onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Add oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; toss gently to coat.  Tuck thyme sprigs into mixture.  

2. Bake at 275°F until tomatoes are wilted but not all have burst, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

3. Cool tomato mixture to room temperature; discard thyme and any random tomato stems. At this time, additional fresh herbs can be added, if desired. Can be served immediately.

4. To store tomatoes, transfer the mixture with the accumulated pan juices to an airtight container. Top off with additional extra virgin olive oil so that all tomatoes are fully immersed. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Be sure to bring to room temperature before serving.

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Wondering how to use those plentiful tomatoes?