the easiest appetizer

a spur-of-the-moment experiment turned into a daily household treat

3…2…1…here we go!

This recipe (if you can even call it that) was born out of a late-afternoon request by my husband. The infamous tinned fish trend descended upon our household early last fall, and his daily afternoon Ritz cracker/smoked trout pairing was needing something bright and acidic at its helm to temper all that buttery umami. Enter: deliciously tangy and sweet confit tomatoes. I made a batch while we were at the farmer’s market a day earlier and topped up some smoked trout on crunchy slices of bub & grandma’s baguette. A simple confit is an easy practice that leaves you with delicious and supple ingredients swimming in a vessel of delicious fat that’s suitable for just about anything. These leftover sweet cherry tomatoes turned into a last-minute snack savior and are a kitchen staple we still rely on day-in and day-out.

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INGREDIENTS

• Fresh baguette, cut along the bias into thin slices for toasting

• 1-2 tins of smoked trout

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes

• 1-2 cups olive oil

• 5-6 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

• Balsamic vinegar

• Fresh spices (should amount to 1-2 tsp once ground):

  • Red pepper flakes

  • Peppercorns

  • Coriander seed

  • Cumin seed

  • Fennel seed

  • Mustard seed

  • White pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 225* F. At the same time, heat a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat; do not use any oil.

2. Place all cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves into a small- to medium-sized oven-proof dish. Cover them with olive oil until everything is completely submerged. This looks like a lot of olive oil –– it won’t go to waste, because it ends up turning into liquid gold.

3. Place all of your chosen fresh spices into the dry preheated skillet. You’ll want to toast each of these for a few minutes to release their aromas + flavors more fully. Once done toasting, place your spices into a mortar + pestle or spice grinder + grind them until fine.

4. Stir ground spices + 1-2 splashes of balsamic vinegar into tomato + garlic mixture.

5. Place the dish into the oven for 3-4 hours. Seriously, this will take some time so feel free to walk away and leave this dish alone. Eventually, the tomatoes will burst open and turn brown — this is good! They’re caramelizing, not burning. Pieces of your smashed garlic cloves might start to dissolve, too. Stir a few times throughout to make sure each tomato is no longer plump and intact. Smash them with the back of your spoon after a few hours, if necessary, but know that enough time in the slow and low heat will take care of it for you.

6. Remove the dish from the oven once completely caramelized + brown on top. Increase heat to 425* F.

7. Place all baguette slices on a baking sheet and place in the oven until lightly golden brown.

To Serve: flake the smoked trout from their tins into a small bowl. Arrange baguette slices on a platter near the dish of tomatoes + garlic. To enjoy, top a baguette slice with a bit of the trout and top with the tomato + garlic mixture. Salut!

Note: Trust what you’ve heard: the confit oil really is liquid gold — if there’s any leftover oil, save it in an airtight container for 1 week. It’s perfect to add to vinaigrettes, top other appetizers, dip leftover bread into, drizzled over labneh…go nuts. Really, toast some nuts in it, I dare you.