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Summer Tomato Season
Tomato Toast with Garlic Confit is my spin on pan con tomate. The garlic cooks low and slow in olive oil until the cloves are soft enough to spread like butter, and that garlic oil gets brushed on the bread before it goes in the pan. Then comes a layer of Japanese mayo and a spoonful of seasoned grated tomato. If you want the classic version, my Pan con Tomate with Manchego and Prosciutto is right here.
Table of Contents
Spreads Like Butter
What Is Garlic Confit?
Confit is a French cooking technique where you slowly roast food submerged in fat or oil at a low temperature. It is one of my favorite things to do with garlic. You end up with a 2 in 1 with this recipe because the oil roasts the garlic till spreads like butter and the garlic infuses the oil. This recipe makes more than you will use but trust me, you will find many other uses for your garlic confit.
- Shortcuts: You can use pre-peeled garlic cloves. Make sure they are fresh.
- Cover the Cloves Fully: Make sure that you fully submerge the garlic in oil while roasting. This keeps it from burning.
- Test for doneness: Take out a clove and spread it on toast or a cracker to check softness.
How to Store Garlic Confit
Store the garlic confit in the refrigerator. Garlic sitting in oil at room temperature can grow the bacteria that cause botulism, a serious illness, and it won’t change how the garlic smells or tastes. Let the garlic and oil cool, move them to a clean jar with a tight lid, and refrigerate right away. Use it within 4 days.
If you aren’t using it all within 4 days, freeze the extra as soon as it cools. Spoon the garlic and oil into a freezer jar, leave about half an inch of space at the top, and label it with the date. It keeps in the freezer for about 3 months before the quality begins to degrade. The oil also freezes well in an ice cube tray, so you can pop out a cube whenever you want to brush garlic oil on bread.
The Best Tomatoes for Tomato Toast
Dry farmed tomatoes stop getting water once the plants are established. The roots grow deep into the soil to find moisture, and the plant puts its energy into fruit. The tomatoes come out smaller and firmer, with dense flesh and less water inside. That matters when you grate them. Less liquid drains off in the strainer, so you’re left with thick pulp to spoon over the toast.
Where to Find Them
Dry farmed tomatoes are seasonal and take some looking. Many of the growers are on California’s central coast, and the tomatoes are usually Early Girls. They show up from mid to late summer and last until the first fall rains. Farmers markets are your best bet, and Whole Foods sometimes carries them.
Tomato Swaps
Any tomato you like works here. If you can’t find dry farmed, go for something meaty like Roma or another paste tomato, or ripe beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes. Skip bland tomatoes that have been sitting in the fridge. Juicier tomatoes need more time in the strainer, so give them about 5 minutes and stir now and then. The tomato water that drains off is good in a vinaigrette.
What to Serve with Tomato Toast
Welcome Cocktail: I had my first Tinto de Verano in Spain. It’s equal parts red wine and lemon soda poured over ice with orange and lemon slices.
Main: I already list pan con tomate as a pairing for my Chicken Milanese and Caesar Salad, and the tomato toast works the same way. The chicken is pounded thin, coated in panko, and fried until golden, then topped with a lemony Caesar and shaved parmigiano.
Side: For my Crispy Manchego Potatoes, Yukon golds get tossed in seasoned mayo and roasted until the outsides crisp. Then they’re covered in creamy chipotle sauce and topped with crispy prosciutto and more manchego.
Dessert: My Burnt Basque Cheesecake comes from San Sebastián. It has no crust, a dark caramelized top, and a creamy, custard-like center. Make it the day before, and after dinner all that’s left is slicing it and setting out strawberries.
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Key Takeaways
- Garlic confit is peeled garlic cloves baked in olive oil at 275°F (135°C) for 60 to 80 minutes, until soft enough to spread. The garlic oil is what you brush on the bread.
- Store garlic confit in the fridge and use it within 4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Dry farmed tomatoes have less water, so they grate into thick pulp. Roma, ripe beefsteak, or heirloom tomatoes also work.
- Grate only the outer flesh of the jalapeño and stop before the seeds.
- Toast the bread and assemble right before serving so the toast stays crisp.
Frequently Asked Questions
A demi baguette is a baguette baked at half the regular length. Most grocery store bakeries carry them. If yours doesn’t, buy a full baguette and either save the rest or double the tomato topping and make more toasts. Ciabatta also works.
Japanese mayo, like Kewpie, is made with only egg yolks instead of whole eggs, so it’s thicker and more custardy than American mayo. It also uses rice vinegar, which gives it a milder tang. Regular mayo works fine if that’s what you have.
Make the garlic confit up to 4 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. The tomato topping can be grated and seasoned a few hours ahead and chilled. Toast the bread and put everything together right before serving so the toast stays crisp.
Yes. They’re too small to grate, so pulse them a few times in a blender or food processor instead, then strain and season the same way.
Stir it into mashed potatoes or pasta, spread it on sandwiches, or blend it into a dip or salad dressing. Use the oil anywhere you’d use regular olive oil and you want the garlic flavor.
Equipment
- small baking dish
- aluminum foil
- box grater
- fine mesh strainer
- Mixing bowl
- Microplane
- pastry brush
- large skillet
Ingredients
Garlic Confit
- 1 head garlic, cloves peeled
- 1 cup olive oil
Tomato Topping
- 10 dry farmed tomatoes, halved
- 1/4 jalapeño, adjust for taste
- flaky salt, pinch
- 1/2 tsp MSG
- 1 drizzle olive oil
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Toast
- 1 sourdough demi baguette, sliced
- 2 tbsp japanese mayo, adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp chives, chopped, for topping
- 1/4 tsp flaky salt, adjust to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper, adjust to taste
- 1 drizzle olive oil
Instructions
- Make the Garlic Confit: Preheat the oven to 275°F (135°C). Place the garlic cloves in a small baking dish and pour the olive oil over them. Cover with foil and bake for 60 to 80 minutes, until the cloves are soft and lightly golden.1 head garlic, 1 cup olive oil
- Grate the Tomatoes: Grate the cut sides of the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater and discard the skins. Transfer the grated tomato to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and let the excess liquid drain.10 dry farmed tomatoes
- Season the Tomato: Transfer the tomato pulp to a mixing bowl. Grate the outer flesh of the jalapeño over the tomato with a microplane, stopping before the seeds. Add a pinch of flaky salt, the MSG, a small drizzle of olive oil, and black pepper. Stir to combine.1/4 jalapeño, flaky salt, 1/2 tsp MSG, 1 drizzle olive oil, 1/8 tsp black pepper
- Toast the Bread: Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush the bread slices with the garlic oil and toast until golden on both sides.1 sourdough demi baguette
- Assemble: Spread one garlic clove onto each slice of toast. Spread with Japanese mayo and top with the seasoned tomato. Finish with chives, flaky salt, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.2 tbsp japanese mayo, 1 tbsp chives, 1/4 tsp flaky salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1 drizzle olive oil
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
