There is something magical about confit. Perhaps it is the bit of time travel inherent in the process of preservation: dishes can remain delicious for days and weeks later — and some meat confit can last months. Confit as a process is an old one, dating back to the 15th century, according to Masterclass, when hunters came home with game birds and preserved the legs and wings by salting them and storing in fat. The basics of the French confit technique have broadened considerably from those origins.
Today, confit can describe any fatty piece of meat that has been salted and cooked slowly in a fat bath. Meat can be cooked in lard or in fat like olive oil for an easy substitution for duck fat confit. Vegetables and fruits can also be the star subjects of the confit treatment. Follow a few fundamental rules (well help you avoid some basic mistakes!) and you too can preserve and elevate the best of any season.
Onion confit is even more flavorful
Onion confit (aka onion jam) is thin, half-moon slices of onion simmered slowly in fat with salt, pepper, sugar, and, sometimes, wine or vinegar. The cooked onions begin to turn golden, lose their texture, and approach the consistency of a jam. You can make onion confit with white, yellow, or red onions. The difference is less one of flavor than it is aesthetic.
While onion confit has its feet planted in the savory world, the secret to its versatility as an ingredient lies in the inherent sweetness of the onion itself. You can add onion confit to a burger. You can use it to top crostini. You can use your onion confit as a garnish on roasted meats, add it to sandwiches, or as a starring element of a charcuterie board.
Close relatives of the onion, like shallots, and leeks also benefit from being transformed by simmering oil. Just 1½ hours in the oven in olive oil yields a shallot confit recipe that can be used in nearly innumerable ways, including the incredibly flavorful shallot oil! Chef Dominique Crenn confits leeks in a vinaigrette in as little as half an hour. Wild leeks (aka ramps confit) make an excellent garnish.
Mushroom confit is remarkably versatile
While confit works well with many vegetables, there is one set of relatively humble options that are truly elevated by a long, slow simmer in fat: mushrooms. Its not that mushrooms are not tasty in their raw state, but rather that the confit treatment enhances their umami properties. While you could confit mushrooms in any fat, there may be no better choice than butter. Mushrooms love butter because it brings out their richness, is appropriate for vegetarians, and helps create caramelization. For many of the same reasons butter works for sautéed mushrooms, it works brilliantly for mushroom confit.
But, while it is almost a cliché that French cuisine loves its butter, the reality is that when you go to the south of France it is olive oil thats king, as Boots for Breakfast points out. Thats also true for a mushroom confit made with olive oil.
Duck Confit – The Classic Method | Chef Jean-Pierre
FAQ
What is an example of a confit food?
What does confit mean in cooking?
Is confit a healthy way of cooking?
Does confit taste good?