Garlic confit is nothing more than the peeled cloves slow cooked in a bath of seasoned oil. This strips the raw cloves of their acidity, removes their sharp heat, and concentrates their sweetness.
Quail are prized throughout the Mediterranean for their delicate flavor, which is milder and sweeter than that of many other game birds. Turning to a classic eastern Mediterranean staple, we glazed the skin with pomegranate molasses in two applications.
I first made this coarse olive paste as a way of using some olives that had been languishing in my refrigerator and were a little past their prime. Warmed and spooned onto peasant bread as an hors d'oeuvre, it was a revelation: The flavor of olives changes when they are heated, somehow becoming milder.