Dried Cherry And Shallot Confit Recipes

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots, onion, cherries, and thyme. Cover, and cook until shallots and onion are soft and beginning to caramelize, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in sugar. Continue to cook, covered, until shallots and onion are caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add vinegar and 1/4 cup warm water. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and mixture is deep brown, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• In a bowl let the cherries soak in the vinegars for 30 minutes. While the cherries are soaking, in a heavy skillet cook the shallot and the onion in the butter, covered, over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until the shallot is soft. Sprinkle mixture with the sugar and cook the mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the cherries with the soaking liquid, simmer the mixture, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until almost all the liquid is evaporated, and season the confit with salt and pepper. The confit may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.

Steps:

• In a saucepan of boiling water blanch shallots 1 minute and drain. Peel shallots and separate into cloves where possible.
• In a heavy saucepan cook shallots in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until coated well. Add sugar and 1 tablespoon vinegar and cook, stirring, until sugar mixture turns a golden caramel. Add remaining vinegar, wine, and salt and boil 1 minute. Add cherries and simmer, covered, 45 minutes, or until shallots are tender.
• Add cranberries and water and boil gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes, or until cranberries burst. Transfer compote to a bowl and cool. Compote may be made 5 days ahead and chilled, covered.
• Serve compote at room temperature.

Steps:

• Peel the garlic and remove any green sprouts. If using shallots or onions, trim both ends before peeling.
• Heat the fat in a small saucepan over medium flame.
• When the fat is warm (not hot--you are not frying the garlic), add the garlic (or shallots or onions), the quatre epices and the pepper.
• Cook until soft, about 20 minutes for garlic, 30 minutes for shallots or onions.
• Remove them from the fat with a slotted spoon and cool on paper towels.
• If not used immediately, they can refrigerated in a small container for several days--but do not cover them with fat.
• Serves 6 as a garnish.