Labneh yoghurt cheese, tastiest thing ever.

[8115]

Has anyone ever had this? I got it a couple of weeks ago at the open-late mediterranean/ middle eastern food shop (not exactly sure what region/ country it is) and it's delicious. But I went back there and they didn't have it, this, coupled with the fact I've never seen or heard of it before made me wonder if it's quite rare in this country.

Anyway, it's, little salty balls of yoghurt cheese in oil, really one of the best things I've tasted for a long long time. I made a salad with gherkins, tomatoes, avocado, olive oil and balsamic before, it was delicious. Ommy nom nom.

Can anyone shed any light on it? I've googled it but even wikipedia isn't very informative.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

It's quite easy to make I think (not that I've ever actually tried, but apparently).

 

[Epona]

Is it curd? As Monkeygrinder's says, it's not difficult to make curd cheese/ricotta type cheeses at home, all you need is some full-fat milk, a bit of citric acid, and a pot in which to let it do its thing, there's no special equipment or environment required.

 

[Ms T]

You can make it by straining Greek yoghurt (full fat) in a piece of muslin for several hours.

 

[Greebo]

You can make it by straining Greek yoghurt (full fat) in a piece of muslin for several hours.

^This. If you want the labneh to taste noticeably cheesy, use the plain yogurt from Rachel's dairy or similar, don't go for one of the mild yogurts. BTW if you haven't got any muslin, a very clean tea towel will do. If you can't tie it up and leave the bundle dripping into a sink, rest it in a sieve and put that across the top of a deep bowl or other container. About half the volume of the pot you began with will drain off (maybe more).

 

[ymu]

It's often eaten more like hummus than cheese - the texture depends on how long it is strained for. The balls in olive oil are a means of preserving it for a bit longer, but it's often served like this:

There's a few recipes on the web. Yotam Ottolenghi's looks nice.

 

[8115]

You can make it by straining Greek yoghurt (full fat) in a piece of muslin for several hours.

Does this work? I always assume that kind of things is going to be massive hassle. It's so delicious.

 

[Greebo]

Does this work? I always assume that kind of things is going to be massive hassle. It's so delicious.

"Massive hassle" in the same way as a stew or casserole. You do a little bit of preparation, go and do something else for several hours, come back and it's ready.

FWIW drained low fat yogurt makes a good cream cheese substitute to use in the main bit of a (non baked) cheesecake.

 

[8115]

cheesecake.

Now that would be too much hassle. /kitchen slattern

 

[Greebo]

Now that would be too much hassle. /kitchen slattern

Is it bollocks.
Crush biscuits using a bag and rolling pin (stress relief) stir round with a couple of ounces of melted butter, then compress into the base of a tin (pref loose based). Freeze it.
Add the main body of it (your drained yogurt plus sweetening and/or flavouring to taste). Freeze it.
If you really must, add a topping - plenty of premium conserves and high fruit jams to choose from, if you don't want to use bits of fruit etc.
Done.

 

[Corax]

My L's are actually capital i's, just if anyone has been having trouble tagging me

Thanks 5t3IIa

 

[Callie]

Thanks 5t3IIa

Iabneh

 

[SpookyFrank]

Is it bollocks.
Crush biscuits using a bag and rolling pin (stress relief) stir round with a couple of ounces of melted butter, then compress into the base of a tin (pref loose based). Freeze it.
Add the main body of it (your drained yogurt plus sweetening and/or flavouring to taste). Freeze it.
If you really must, add a topping - plenty of premium conserves and high fruit jams to choose from, if you don't want to use bits of fruit etc.
Done.

No need to freeze anything, just pop it in the fridge overnight.

Adding a generous slug of coffee liqueur and/or baileys mixed in with the topping is not a move you're likely to regret.

 

[miss direct]

I just use it like cheese spread.

 

[Greebo]

No need to freeze anything, just pop it in the fridge overnight.<snip>

Freezing for half an hour is easier for me than chilling in the fridge overnight - less need to plan ahead and you get a firmer surface which stays intact while adding the next layer. BTW good tip about the liqueur.