Preserve

Slow-Roasted Cherry Tomato Confit

Sun Sugar cherries roasted low and slow with oil, garlic, and thyme until they collapse into a sweet, spoonable confit.

  • Serves6
  • Prep15 min
  • Cook120 min
  • LevelEasy
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Ingredients

  • 2 lb Sun Sugar cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 tsp flaky salt
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar (optional, to coax the caramel)

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C) and arrange the halved tomatoes cut-side up in a single layer in a baking dish.
  2. Tuck the smashed garlic and thyme sprigs between the tomatoes, then pour the olive oil over everything.
  3. Scatter the salt, pepper, and optional sugar across the top.
  4. Roast for about 2 hours, until the tomatoes have slumped, wrinkled, and gone jammy but not browned.
  5. Let the dish cool to room temperature, then discard the thyme stems.
  6. Spoon the confit and its oil into a clean jar, making sure the tomatoes stay submerged, and refrigerate.

Notes

Sun Sugar starts out sweeter than most tomatoes, and two hours of low heat drives off the water and concentrates that sugar until each half tastes like candy. Spoon it over pasta or crusty toast, and keep the fragrant oil for dressings. Stored under a cap of oil in the fridge, it will keep a good week.