Ember Tomato Confit
Confit means 'preserved in fat.' Ember tomatoes slow-roasted in olive oil become intensely sweet, deeply savory, and gently warm at 5,000 SHU. Keep a jar in the fridge and add to pasta, toast, salads, or sandwiches all week.
Prep
10 min
Cook
3 hr
Total
3 hr 10 min
Servings
16
Peak SHU
5K
Featured Organisms
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ember tomatoes (SS-TOM-01), halved
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Place tomato halves cut-side-up in a baking dish.
- 2
Nestle garlic and thyme among them. Pour olive oil over.
- 3
Season with salt and pepper.
- 4
Roast at 275°F for 2.5–3 hours until shrunken and deeply caramelized.
- 5
Transfer to jars with the flavored oil. Refrigerate.
Tips
- The infused oil is as valuable as the tomatoes — use it for dressings and finishing.
- Lasts 2 weeks refrigerated.
Low-temperature roasting (135°C) evaporates water slowly while capsaicinoids migrate into the olive oil. After 3 hours, the oil is measurably spicy — HPLC analysis would show capsaicin partitioned approximately 60% in the oil phase and 40% remaining in the tomato tissue.