How to... Roast Garlic

Roasting garlic imparts a milder flavor than raw garlic, and the color results in smokey, golden yellow cloves that are easily spreadable. Roasting garlic is so versatile. It tastes great eaten alone, or wonderful to spread on lightly toasted slices of Italian bread or a baguette. The baking temperature is very forgiving- it can be roasted at any temperature between 350-425 degrees. Thus, if you're already baking something in your oven, just add the foil-wrapped garlic to the oven and it can bake with it- it's very easy to take advantage of your oven being on in the first place. Roasting your own garlic is worth every bit of little effort it requires, and the aroma in your kitchen will be intoxicating. If you're not using it right away, allow it to cool, and then wrap it in foil tightly. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients:
Head of garlic
Aluminum foil
Salt
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut the top of the garlic head, so that the tops of all the cloves are exposed. Peel away at the outer layers of skin of the garlic bulb, but leave the garlic bulb as a whole.

3. Place the garlic on top of the foil.
4. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and drizzle the top with the olive oil.
5. Wrap the garlic tightly in foil, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
6. Once roasted, the garlic will have some caramelization on top. Depending on the oven temperature and how long you roast it, the garlic could impart a deeper caramelization (but that doesn't indicate whether it's done.) The garlic should be very soft.
7. When ready for use, you squeeze the pulp out of the cloves, and voila!

** This can easily be adapted to multiple garlic heads. Baking and cooking times will remain the same.