When I made my first pepper sauce, ( http://thehotpepper.com/topic/37745-roguejims-mixed-hot-pepper-sauce/ ), I roasted two whole bulbs of garlic. I separated all the cloves, left the skins on, and roasted them in a med-hot frying pan until the skins were charred, the insides softened. The recipe made about 2 1/2 pints of sauce, but the garlic was not really noticeable. Not enough garlic? Is there a better way to roast garlic? Does roasting increase or lessen the garlic presence in a sauce?
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Roasting Garlic
- Thread starter Roguejim
- Start date
Yes, roasting does reduce the pungent flavor of garlic. And I prefer to roast in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350. Take your head of garlic and cut the top off of it. Make sure you cut the very tops off of the cloves themselves to expose the raw garlic inside. Set the cut garlic on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil and kosher salt. Loosely wrap the head of garlic and seal it up with a twist of the foil at the top. Stick it in the oven and roast for about 30 minutes or so... when it's tender, just squeeze it like a zit and all of the cloves will come out. Use the whole head for your sauce.
Or you can buy pre-roasted garlic. I used some to make a sauce today.
I used two of the little individually wrapped packets pictured...
Or you can buy pre-roasted garlic. I used some to make a sauce today.
I used two of the little individually wrapped packets pictured...
I cut the garlic heads in half, across the cloves, and put them cut side down on a cookie sheet with a bit of olive oil on it. Put in oven @ 350 for 30 or so minutes. The cloves should squeeze out cleanly when done.
I find roasting garlic mellows it out quite a bit, but the flavor is awesome.
I find roasting garlic mellows it out quite a bit, but the flavor is awesome.
Have to agree with what's been said. When you roast garlic it's going from the sharp pungent taste we all call a garlic flavor to a sweet kind of smoky flavor. So, if you want some of that garlic flavor to come accross you'll need to leave some raw. Might try roasting one and not the other and see how it is.
I use non-stick muffin pans to roast garlic. The outer paper is removed and, I cut off just the very tips of each of the "toes" (New Orleans terminology) leaving the head "whole". Muskymojo's idea of cutting the head in half at the middle, with flat side down, sounds even better yet for getting the oil and flavors absorbed. In each cup I add a little extra virgin olive oil, and a couple of drops of liquid crab boil. Bake at 350-375 for 30 minutes.
Sometimes I wrap each head in foil to maintain moisture. I just poke a small piece of foil into each muffin-spot and wrap like Phil does. Leaving them uncovered gives me that "caramelized" flavor. I do about 10-15 heads at a time. My family and friends actually snack on roasted garlic!
I also believe that adding some raw garlic will give you more of the garlic flavor you're looking for. We have a patch of shallots growing just about all year long in our garden and, use a lot of shallots in the hot sauces that I doctor up. Some raw and some cooked. I will definitely add shallots to the sauce that I'm fermenting right now.
Sometimes I wrap each head in foil to maintain moisture. I just poke a small piece of foil into each muffin-spot and wrap like Phil does. Leaving them uncovered gives me that "caramelized" flavor. I do about 10-15 heads at a time. My family and friends actually snack on roasted garlic!
I also believe that adding some raw garlic will give you more of the garlic flavor you're looking for. We have a patch of shallots growing just about all year long in our garden and, use a lot of shallots in the hot sauces that I doctor up. Some raw and some cooked. I will definitely add shallots to the sauce that I'm fermenting right now.
salsalady
eXtreme Business
The roasted garlic cloves Phill posted look like what Ive done, which is to take peeled cloves, toss 'em with oil and seasoning and bake/roast in the oven. Cloves that are roasted in the skins stay lighter all the way around. They soften and sweeten. The ones in the bag have darker brown edges which leads me to think they were baked out of the skins.
I like to take a large tub of peeled cloves (available at Costco or food service stores), completely cover them in olive oil and slow roast in a casserole-type dish (250F) for a couple hours. Stir regularly so the edge pieces don't get browner than the middle pieces.
When all the pieces are roasted, drain and save the oil. It's GREAT for cooking and salad dressings! Roasted garlic infused olive oil...oh, Yea! Puree the cooked garlic and freeze in small tubs or flat pint freezer bags. The flat bags work great in that you can break of small bits as you need it and it doesn't take up much room in the freezer.
edit- keep the drained off oil in the refer. It will get thick but not totally solid.
I like to take a large tub of peeled cloves (available at Costco or food service stores), completely cover them in olive oil and slow roast in a casserole-type dish (250F) for a couple hours. Stir regularly so the edge pieces don't get browner than the middle pieces.
When all the pieces are roasted, drain and save the oil. It's GREAT for cooking and salad dressings! Roasted garlic infused olive oil...oh, Yea! Puree the cooked garlic and freeze in small tubs or flat pint freezer bags. The flat bags work great in that you can break of small bits as you need it and it doesn't take up much room in the freezer.
edit- keep the drained off oil in the refer. It will get thick but not totally solid.
Caramelize the cloves in a pan with oil so the skin caramelizes but the centers are still raw. Use medium to medium/high heat and turn them, when you get the caramel color they are ready. This is the quickest method, just pop them into your pot/blender/whatever. You get the sweetness and the pungency. Good for what you need here. Works well for marinara as well when you want the sweetness and the bite.