The ultimate garlic dip confits 300 g of peeled cloves with 50 g of sesame seeds in olive oil at 110–130 °C — small, lazy bubbles for 15–20 minutes until soft inside and golden outside — then mashes them into a paste with about 100 g of cream cheese, parsley and salt. The strained garlic-sesame oil is a keeper in its own right. Three ingredients that taste like a hundred; serves 6.
Instructions
- 1
Slice the bottoms off whole bulbs, drop the cloves into a jar, close the lid and shake hard — they loosen and peel in seconds; pick out the clean cloves.
- 2
Put 300 g of cloves and the sesame seeds in a pan and pour in enough olive oil to fully cover the garlic.
- 3
Heat gently on the lowest flame, around 110–130 °C / 230–265 °F — you want small, lazy bubbles, not a fierce fry.
- 4
Simmer until the garlic is soft inside and golden outside — that draws out sweetness instead of bitterness.
18:00 - 5
Strain through a sieve and keep the infused oil — liquid gold for roasted vegetables, salads or morning eggs.
- 6
Mash the garlic and sesame into a paste, stir in the cream cheese, then the parsley and a pinch of salt.
- 7
Serve on toast, warm bread or as a vegetable dip.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why keep the oil temperature so low?
At 110–130 °C the cloves confit — cooking through gently and turning sweet — while a hot fry would brown the outside fast and make the garlic bitter before the center softens. Watch the bubbles: small and lazy is right, fierce means too hot.
What do I do with the strained garlic-sesame oil?
Treat it as a finished condiment: drizzle it over roasted vegetables, whisk it into salad dressings, or fry your morning eggs in it. Refrigerate it in a sealed jar and use it within a week or two — garlic-infused oil should never sit at room temperature.
How long does the dip keep?
In an airtight container in the fridge, plan on about a week. The cream cheese makes it a fresh dairy product, so treat it like one — and like all cooked-garlic preparations, it stays in the fridge, never on the counter.
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