Fried goat cheese with onion confit is a gorgeous combination of flavors–salty, crispy goat cheese and sweet, tangy, confit onions. Saffron, bay leaves, garlic, and white wine just make it that much more exquisitely irresistible.
An outstanding tapa—one of my favorites from the new generation of tapas.–Penelope Casas
WHAT DOES CONFIT MEAN?
Confit means, literally, to preserve. In this case, it’s preserving food by cooking it in oil. Covering food in oil sounds a lot like deep-frying, right? Absolutely–except, in this case, the difference is the temperature. Confit food is cooked at about 200ºF (or less) instead of the high temps of deep-frying. This technique is an all-star of the low and slow movement.
Oil is inhospitable to bacteria, which made it an excellent way to preserve food in the past. But the technique has hung on because it makes food taste incredible. Melt in your mouth incredible. Confit onions or garlic, refrigerated and covered in oil, will last for up to 6 months. Besides that, they taste superb and the leftover oil is amazing for drizzling and dipping.
☞ Contents
Fried Goat Cheese with Onion Confit
Equipment
- Deep-fry or candy or instant-read thermometer
Ingredients
For the onion confit
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onions such as Vidalia or other sweet onion, (1 1/4-1 1/2 pounds), slivered
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/8 teaspoon crumbled thread saffron
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon dry white wine
For the fried goat cheese
- 1/2 recipe onion confit
- 1 egg
- 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- One (4-ounce) log goat cheese cut in 1/2-inch slices
- Dried bread crumbs preferably mixed with Japanese-style panko crumbs
- Mild olive oil for frying
Directions
Make the onion confit
- Put the oil, onions, garlic, saffron, and bay leaf in a shallow sauté pan. Heat over the lowest possible heat until the mixture begins to sizzle. Cover and cook for 40 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper, add wine and cook until evaporated. (This part may be prepared ahead.)
Make the fried goat cheese
- In a shallow bowl, beat the egg and parsley together with a fork. Dip the cheese in the egg, then coat with the crumbs.
- Heat the oil to 360°F (182°C), preferably in a deep fryer. Otherwise pour oil into a skillet to a depth of at least 1 inch, and heat the oil until it quickly browns a cube of bread. Fry the cheese until golden brown and drain on paper towels. (This can be kept warm in a 200°F (90°C) oven for up to 30 minutes.)
- Warm the confit and place a tablespoon or so on 4 to 8 individual plates. Place one or two of the fried cheese pieces on top and serve right away.
Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This was an easy recipe that tasted great, looked attractive, and could be a useful addition to a variety of recipe repertoires. I could eat the confit by itself. But that confit would also be great with toast, salad, omelets, or sandwiches. And the fried goat cheese was as terrific as the onion confit.
Easy to prepare, with just the right amount of breathing room and allowance for the kind of Luddite cooking I embrace. For example, in lieu of a deep fryer, Casas provides instruction on how to ascertain correct oil temperature and fry without a cooking/candy thermometer. I didn’t use a thermometer and my frying temperature was just fine for the cheese, after test-frying with cubes of bread, as she directs.
The panko-style bread crumbs mixed with regular ones led to a nice crusty texture on the outside of the finished cheese.
I served this as the first course for a small dinner party, and everyone loved it. Really, what’s not to love? Melting, sweet, caramelized onions topped with crunchy rounds oozing creamy goat cheese. If I hadn’t had company, I could have made a whole meal of this.
My only observation is that the cheese slices better if not refrigerator-cold. And from past experience with similar recipes, chilling after breading helps the crumbs adhere during frying. It also allows you to prepare the cheese ahead and simply fry it when needed.
Delicious! We made this for an impromptu get-together with friends. The onion confit cooked while getting ready for our guests, the fried goat cheese was finished while sipping a glass of wine once everyone had arrived. It could have easily been dinner by itself with a nice salad and some good bread.
Originally published April 16, 2007
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If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Perfect recipe. It did so well. My wife love it. So good and healthy, she said. Thank you much!
Thank you, Dayne! So happy that you and your wife enjoyed it!
I thought this was fabulous, but then again, I’m a big fan of goat cheese, as well as onions. Since I live in the Pacific Northwest, I used Walla Walla Sweets.
Debbie, then this a winner in the Markos home! (And ours, too!)
Wonderful recipe! The combination of the fried goat cheese with the confit was a terrific blend of colors, textures, and flavors!
Glad you like it, Bob!
I was looking for a dinner to make tonight with goat cheese. A fresh basil, goat cheese, and tomato sandwich drizzled with a little evoo and balsamic vinegar sounded so good although I ditched the sourdough baguette at the grocery store because I am trying to be good and avoid white flour, and I figured I could make a nice salad with goat cheese and tomatoes instead.
Well…I had the idea to make goat cheese medallions crusted with panko (much less wheat flour than a baguette) to be served with the salad and started a Google search. The few recipes I noticed said to dip the goat cheese medallion in seasoned flour and then dip in beaten egg and finally panko. Just then a light bulb went on to check my tried and true new favorite recipe web site (LC) and lo and behold I found this recipe which did not call for the white flour dip prior to egg wash.
I made these and they were delicious. The panko adhered perfectly. I wanted the pure flavor of the goat cheese so I did not season my egg or panko with anything but salt. I also barely coated my cast iron skillet with olive oil and it was plenty of oil to brown the medallions up nicely. My teen, who is a lover of cheese, just said “mmmmm” when we were eating our salad tonight, and the salad with the medallions was satisfying and delicious.
Thanks, Leites Culinaria! By the way, many of your recipes on this site receive rave reviews from my family, so thank you for the “arsenal” of recipes on this site!
The highest praise we could hope to hear, Mrs. E. You’re very, very welcome!