Roasted garlic becomes sweet, losing the sharp pungency that makes raw garlic so powerful. You can spread roasted garlic like butter on bread or vegetables. Add it to soups, sauces, and dressings, or smear it onto a pizza. You can roast a number of whole heads at one time.

　　

Ingredients

Whole garlic heads

　　Olive oil

　　

Step 1

Position the oven racks so that they are evenly spaced. Preheat the oven to convection roast at 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Place the garlic heads side by side on a sheet of foil and drizzle them with olive oil. Wrap them tightly in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast the heads on the center rack for 35 to 40 minutes or until the garlic is very soft.

　　

Step 3

Let the garlic cool, still wrapped. To serve, unwrap and squeeze individual garlic cloves from their skins into a bowl or onto bread, crackers, or vegetables.

　　From Cooking with Convection by Beatrice Ojankangas. Copyright (c) 2005 by Beatrice Ojankangas. Published by Broadway Books.Beatrice Ojakangas has written more than a dozen cookbooks, including Beatrice Ojakangas' Great Holiday Baking Book, Beatrice Ojakangas' Light and Easy Baking, Pot Pies, Quick Breads, Light Desserts, The Finnish Cookbook, and The Great Scandinavian Baking Book. Beatrice works as a consultant for Pillsbury and other major food companies, teaches cooking classes, and writes for various food magazines. She lives in Duluth, Minnesota.