Labneh (Strained Yoghurt Cheese)

At the Pigg's Peake 2008 wine release, I tried labneh for the first time and it was awesome! Labneh is a strained yoghurt common in the middle east and southern asia that retains the sour taste of the natural yoghurt. You can go to a "gourmet" store and pay $14 for a small jar or make you own for much less, it's pretty easy (but requires patience) and would surely get you big brownie points if you brought some to a dinner party.

Just take 1kg of natural yoghurt, add 1 teaspoon of sea salt and mix in well. Pour yoghurt into a large piece of really clean muslin cloth, tie it tightly with string, put this in a strainer and hang above a large bowl in the fridge. Leave it to drain for at least 2 days until the whey stops coming out but be careful to ensure the strainer stays above the liquid.

When it gets to the consistency you like, form into small walnut-sized balls and leave in the fridge for a few more hours to dry out a little. Bottle in sterilised jars with light olive oil and add some goodness like rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and chilli.

I was possibly a little impatient and should have waited three days rather than two. The yoghurt I used was pretty thick to start with so I might try a more liquid yoghurt next time. Naturally, different yoghurt will give you different tastes so don't skimp and never ever use low-fat!

I think a nice way to serve it would be to take turkish pide spread with za'atar, mint, tomatoes, blobs of labneh and drizzled with olive oil before baking for a few minutes. This blog suggests serving labneh with macerated apricots for brekkie. Or you could serve it like hummus, spread on a plate with olive oil and paprika. Options are endless!