Confit Garlic Prep

A staple ingredient in many Earls recipes, the taste of garlic goes great with almost any dish, and in this video I’m going to show you how to make three pantry must-haves used in many dishes at Earls.

Infuse Oil

You’ll need just under 3 cups of peeled garlic cloves placed in a medium sized pot. To that, add half cup olive oil and half cup vegetable oil bringing the mix up to a hot simmer.

Following the exact recipe is great for keeping consistent with the strength of the garlic flavour in the finished product, but the relative simplicity of the prep, makes it easy to make garlic oil or butter in smaller batches if needed. 

Once it good and hot, reduce the temperature to a lower setting and continue to simmer until the garlic cloves turn slightly golden brown and soft. This should take about 45 minutes and the garlic should be stirred every once and a while to cook evenly. 

Once nicely cooked, remove from heat and allow it to cool slightly, until it’s safe to handle. Strain out the cloves from the now-infused garlic oil and allow the oil to cool completely before storing. The oil can then be placed in an airtight container to be placed in the fridge for up to two weeks, or poured into a spout bottle for a quick grab by the stovetop.

The remaining cloves then go into a food processor and blended until a smooth paste is formed. Because the cloves are soaked in oil, the paste blends relatively easy, without leaving large chunks behind.  This paste can then be stored in the fridge and added to many dishes without having to peel and chop fresh garlic every time.

Garlic Butter

Having a tub of garlic butter in the fridge, makes it easy to add the taste of garlic and herbs to any dish. 

In a large bowl take one half cup of the fresh garlic puree, and add 1 cup of semi softened butter. Using a hand mixer, begin to whip the ingredients until smooth and carefully add in one half teaspoon Dijon mustard, one half teaspoon ground black pepper, one half teaspoon salt and one teaspoon diced parsley. 

Dried parsley flakes can also be used as a substitute, if fresh leaves aren’t available. 

Pause for a second and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure all ingredients are mixed in and continue to whip until the entire mix is about double the original volume. 

This garlic butter can then be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks or frozen for up to two months.

Many of the dishes featured in the Earls cookbook use these garlic recipes, so it good to always have some oil or butter on hand & ready to use.