I kind of had it right when it came to meat and cooking the meat in its own fat. (Hello Duck!).
Reading through the recipe, I got it into my head that I was going to be "Caramelizing" onions and throwing in some wine for ambiance. (Sometimes, I read what I want to read, not what's really there... Am I the only one?)
Per Wikipedia: "Confit (French, pronounced [kɔ̃fi] or in English "con-fee") is a generic term for various kinds of food that have been immersed in a substance for both flavour and preservation. Sealed and stored in a cool place, confit can last for several months. Confit is one of the oldest ways to preserve food, and is a speciality of southwestern France."
Apparently, even candied fruit are considered "confit". And onions can be turned into a "condiment confit".
Totally not just for duck legs... (Although, I did have THE best duck leg confit over gnocchi for dinner the other night. I am not sure anything can top duck cooked in its own fat - unless its duck cooked in its own fat with a side of potatoes that have also been cooked in that same fat... Just saying.)
Who knew???
Obviously, not me.
Since this was going to be dinner for the peeps (because The Dude and I were headed out to the dinner that involved the duck confit...), I decided to avoid the whole "confit" label and explain it as "caramelized onions with red wine and port".
It made life simpler.
It is a given that there are certain words that probably guarantee that the family won't eat a dish item - I am pretty sure "confit" is one of those words. (Meatloaf is another one of those words.)
Far easier to call it an onion pizza with olives and feta. No?
The strategy must have worked, because by the time we came home, a healthy dent had been made into the pie.
And that's what matters, right?
With the added bonus that I now know what a confit is. Knowledge is power and all that...
Peace out.
This post participates in Tuesdays with Dorie. The recipe for Pizza with Onion Confit can be found at the site of this week's host, Paul of The Boy Can Bake.
LOL - a good idea to disguise the name. I thought this was delish.
ReplyDeleteI too had the idea these were to be caramelized. Must have been the recipe in a magazine I read. Glad this was a hit - it was for us!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the confit education...always learn a few things reading through all the posts. And, I'd say that when you cook onions for an hour plus, they do get caramelized...can't help it, so I'd say you read just fine. I usually read what I want things to say...it's part of our creative process. I would not want mine to look like everyone else's, right? Yours looks just how it should. Nice work, as usual. And, I hope your tree is still up.
ReplyDeleteThe onions were great weren't they? Wasn't sold on the crust. That's on my list of things to work on this year.
ReplyDeleteI would opt for the duck confit over this pizza anytime! I haven´t had that in a long time. This wasn´t a favorite with me, though I love caramelized onions, and am glad I skipped the cassis. Good thing you didn´t come home to hungry kids...!
ReplyDeleteO.K., it must be destiny. This is the 2nd time in 2 days that I come across "confit". I have never made anything with it much less ever cooked the famous "duck confit". But it sounds so delicious. It must be destiny...let's see if I can find duck fat!!
ReplyDeleteI hope you tried some - it was good! I didn't really know what confit meant either, and I didn't even bother to look it up, so thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteI also googled confit because I didn't really know what it was other than a word that made this pizza sound fancy. Your crust looks very yummy and crunchy - pizza for everyone! :)
ReplyDeletelol, here we can handle the "confit" part - it's the "onion" part that gets the disparaging looks! I may not have done the onions, but I really liked the pizza dough. So easy to work with! And it ended up being quite delicious!
ReplyDeleteAmazing, same dish, different name and one seems more tasty:) Taking advantage of humans weakness.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the last duck confit I had wasn't the best - it seem that one had been preserved for decades!
You're not alone, I thought it was going to be caramelized onions too! Had to keep reading the instructions to make sure. I was a little disappointed, but in the end I did enjoy them. (though I do prefer caramelized onions)
ReplyDeleteThe Wikipedia entry for "Confit" must be getting tons of hits this week. I looked it up too. Even though you think you know, it always helps to have some concrete language to describe it, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteNow I wish I had made it. We already had caramelized onions in the fridge so I couldn't justify making more...
Also, re: nomenclature: once my husband presented couscous as "mini pastini" the kids gobbled it up. Before that, nada. Go figure.
Thanks for the info! Your pizza looks great.
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to be reminded about what various French food terms really mean. I usually associate confit and duck and envy you your night out eating it. Because I made so much onion confit, I shared it with a neighbor who assumed I begian with red onions. Was she surprised! Did you taste the dough at all. I liked it but may prefer a thinner, crispier pizza if I am going to make it at home. It was still delicious. Glad you had a night on the town.
ReplyDeleteI learned from you! Since I'm unable to participate this month (broken foot----ugh), I didn't investigate the recipe too much. Looks fantastic!!
ReplyDeleteyum looks great..sorry I had to miss this one . My daughter just had her tonsils out:(
ReplyDeleteYour pizza looks great and I enjoyed the post. I remember the days when I chose my words v-e-r-y c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y in order for the kids to it. Now I just say "soups on!" and my husband and mom come running. Much simpler these days :) Blessings, Catherine www.praycookblog.com
ReplyDeleteYour pizza looks great and I enjoyed the post. I remember the days when I chose my words v-e-r-y c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y in order for the kids to it. Now I just say "soups on!" and my husband and mom come running. Much simpler these days :) Blessings, Catherine www.praycookblog.com
ReplyDeleteCher, looks like you enjoyed this pizza recipe as much as we did - I like that you added olives and feta to the caramelized onions - that is a combination that always tastes fabulous.
ReplyDeleteWell thank you for the lesson Cher! I always love your posts.
ReplyDeleteCreative renaming :)
ReplyDeleteYour pizza looks great but the duck sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteYou've clarified what a confit is for me, too, as well as introducing me to the Tuesdays with Dorrie/Baking with Julia project. I'm truly impressed that you made such a fine homemade pizza for your kids before going out to dinner yourself, unlike the 99% of parents who would have told their kids to order pizza for dinner while you were out, or had them eat boxed pizza from the freezer.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad to have missed this one - it looks awfully good. I often fudge the names of dishes for various family members and then tell them afterward.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I thought it really was a fancy way of saying caramelized onions. Thanks for setting me straight. Your pizza looks great!
ReplyDeleteLiked your story, it was fun to read. And I didn't know the meaning of confit either (and haven't yet looked it up, so thanks) :-)
ReplyDeleteHmmm...blogger is acting up again. I left a comment, but got a bunch of garbled text and weird stuff happening...anyway, you pizza looks beautiful. Thank you for telling us what confit means. I didn't even look it up! I also thought it was caramelized onions with a little bit of extra flavor. ;) Well, whatever you call it the onions were delicious. Glad your family also enjoyed this one.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you totally. Sometimes it is best to just call it something else ... This pizza is delicious though.
ReplyDeleteYes, confit can be a horse of many colors, the way I perceive it. Your pizza looks delish; isn't it nice when the family enjoys it?
ReplyDeleteI don't think my 'peeps' would have eaten it, but they do surprise me sometimes. THis was pretty tasty, just not often.
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteI googled confit too! Your post is great - smart and funny and great pics. Great job!
ReplyDeleteLove the name switch on onion confit. I need to start doing that with my son... red noodles might have worked....
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to "rename" the confit. Hope you got to try a little bit of the pizza too, but I'm sure the duck confit was even better.
ReplyDeleteI was happy to read your background info on 'confit' - thanks for that! Nice job on the pizza.
ReplyDeleteSo technically, it wasn't a confit at all, was it? Maybe I should go check the left-over onions in the fridge and see how well preserved they are. I can't imagine that your kids would refuse anything. They've got to be spoiled rotten having a mom that cooks like you do. College food must be a shock.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I love the way you drew on the plastic wrap to judge the rising dough!
DeleteGreat idea to rename the pizza. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteCarlene
Great post! And your pizza looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteWe spend our life (among other things) chosing the best ingredients, the best food, and the best words for our kids to enjoy it, too...
ReplyDeleteLovely Pizza, Cher.