Roasted garlic is a way to mellow and sweeten the flavor of garlic in a dish.  You can also roast a bulb of garlic to spread the single cloves on toast.  It is a great trick to add an invitation of warmth into your home before company arrives, in they come and a soft garlicky smell greets them.

Take one bulb of garlic, cut off top with a serrated knife.  Create a pouch of aluminum foil and place the garlic inside, drizzling with oil.  When used as an ingredient in a recipe, be careful of seasoning the bulb, but if used on its own, sprinkle salt, pepper and fold and tuck in a sprig of thyme in the center, or sprinkle lightly with dried thyme.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the bundle gives or seems soft when squeezed with tongs.  Remove and open pouch carefully.  Either serve as is or squeeze the bulb so the cloves pop out.