The word confit [kon-FEE] is derived from an ancient French method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) where the meat is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. The meat is then packed into crocks or ceramic pots and covered with their own cooking fat, which seals and preserves them. Confit can be refrigerated for at least 6 months.
Fruit confits are fruits or pieces of fruit preserved in quite a bit of sugar. Think of it as a thick jam.
I still had quite a bit of tomatoes left from the "care box" Richard gave me last week and I didn't want them to spoil on me, so I took the little ones they call Hamakua Sweet (slightly sweet in taste and sort of pointy-oval in shape) and some of the red and yellow ones that are slightly larger than cherries (cocktail tomatoes) and cut them up, put them in a non-reactive saucepan with some of the vinegar and sugar mix left over from when I made the cukes and Green Zebra tomato pickles the other day.
I added more sugar.....and let them cook down to a glossy red, sweet - sour confit or jam that is delicious with cream cheese and crackers!!!
The cheese I used to serve above is a small log of basil chevre, soft goat cheese. Serve with plain unsalted soda crackers or any other plain crackers or even thinly sliced Italian or French bread, toasted and topped with the cheese and tomato confit as you would a crostini.
I would be hard pressed to give you the exact quantities, since I just played it by ear, but there were probably
6 cups of cut tomatoes
1 pint of the vinegar-sugar-salt infusion
and I added
3 more cups of sugar
Let the whole thing cook down until the tomatoes are nice and shiny and the jam is to the consistency you prefer.
I took some by the farm for Richard to taste. Richard, Kimo and Charlotte all thought it was ono!
Donna, easy and delicious and oh, so different!
Posted by: Sonia | February 11, 2007 at 07:30 AM
Oh Sonia, thanks. I'm going to make this as soon as the tomatoes ripen on the mainland!
Posted by: Donna | February 10, 2007 at 07:34 PM
Sorry, Lori....Too late....all gone! It wasn't that much to begin with and we polished it off already!
The tomato confit would be delicious on croissant or even French toast....it would be good on anything you normaly put jam or sweet preserves on, but it has the added bonus of pairing well with savory foods. I tried a little of our left over turkey and dressing with some of the leftover tomato confit and it was delicious.........!
Posted by: Sonia | November 26, 2006 at 07:26 AM
Well Sonia, this sounds really interesting and the pictures are wonderful, as usual. I've never tried confit before. As I was reading down through your article and ingredient list, I kept wondering how the finished product might taste on top of french toast or a nice fresh croissant. Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until next summer to have tomatoes...and try this, unless you'd like to UPS me some! lol
Happy Thanksgiving...a little late.
me ke aloha...lori
Posted by: Lori | November 26, 2006 at 07:01 AM
That's for sure, David........thank you for reading and commenting. I bookmarked your blog site so I could go back and read when I'm not as pressed for time...........My turkey is just ready to pop in the oven......
Happy Thanksgiving!
Posted by: Sonia | November 23, 2006 at 08:19 AM
mmm, with good fresh ingredients you don't need to be too precise about quantities!
Posted by: CookingChat | November 23, 2006 at 07:50 AM
Aloha Kevin
One more blessing for which I can be thankful.........I wish you could have had a tomato sandwich for lunch like the one I had yesterday.... See the largest, purply bluish tomato at the top of the first photo above...?
A big, thick slice of that one, with a bit of freshly grated pepper, mayo on whole wheat and a couple of leaves of 'living' soft, buttery, Manoa lettuce.. Heaven!!!
Posted by: Sonia | November 21, 2006 at 07:05 AM
Sonia,
Alas, edible tomatoes are long gone in these parts. The only things available now are the supermarket cardboard variety.
Posted by: kevin | November 21, 2006 at 05:22 AM
Go for it!!!!!!!!! I think you would really enjoy it!
Glad you like my confit!
Posted by: Sonia | November 20, 2006 at 07:54 PM
Sonia:
You mentioned about using it for Thanksgiving sort of in place of cranberry sauce. I think that would work. And, I think that leaving the skins in--adds to---does not detract from the confit. I really liked it. These are the kinds of surprises that make me want to enroll in the culinary course at the Community college. I'm going to call tomorrow.
Posted by: Richard Ha | November 20, 2006 at 06:23 PM