Lemon Confit & Kalamata Olive Bruschetta

I received a nice stack of cooking magazines for Christmas this year, one of them being the January 2008 Bon Appetit. As I normally do, I started making a list of ideas and recipes that caught my attention. For some reason, I was drawn to the article on making confit. Confit means "preserved" and can be used with duck, garlic, or lemon. I immediately wanted to try the lemon confit, since it sounded like something perfect to have on hand to jazz up recipes.

It's fairly easy to make, although it does take about an hour to simmer. However, it stores in the refrigerator for up to a month. It smells delicious and I'm looking forward to finding new ways to use it. Here, I've tossed it with kalamata olives and fresh thyme and served it over grilled sourdough bread to make a quick, yet tasty appetizer. It can also be used with any fish or seafood dish, and would be great tossed in with steaming mussels. With so many possible uses, this is definitely something you need to keep on hand.



Lemon Confit
Courtesy of Bon Appetit, January 2008

4 lemons
1/2 c olive oil
1/2 c canola oil (I used Smart Balance)
1 clove garlic, halved
Pinch of sea salt

Using vegetable peeler, peel lemons in long strips. Squeeze 6 tablespoons of juice from lemons. Blanch peel in small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds, drain. Repeat twice. Bring 6 tablespoons of lemon juice, oils, garlic, and salt to simmer in small saucepan. Add lemon peel and simmer over low heat until peel is soft, about 1 hour. Cool. Keep chilled and completely covered in oil.

Lemon Confit & Kalamata Olive Bruschetta
1/2 c kalamata olives, pitted and quartered
1/4 c lemon confit, chopped
2 tsp of oil from confit
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

Combine in a small bowl. Serve over grilled bread. (If you have a Foreman grill, just brush pieces of bread with olive oil and grill - super easy and it gets great grill marks) Enjoy!