Tag: Labneh

Labneh, the "cheese" of yogurt – Italian Cuisine


It is eaten in the Middle East, it is low in fat and perfect for the summer. Here's how to prepare the labneh (it's very easy) thanks to the yoghurt tips

The labneh is a typical product of Middle Eastern countries e it is prepared starting from yogurt, traditional or poured, added with fine salt. It is even more compact and creamy than strained yoghurt and has a slightly salty and sour taste. These features make it similar to a soft cheese.

There Yogurtista it's not a person, it's a book written by Virginia Repetto and now in the bookstore: Yogurtista – Homemade yogurt: recipes, types, benefits (Nomos Edizioni). The book explains the best way to prepare yogurt (classic, Greek, with skimmed milk, lactose-free, goat's milk and even with the vegetable soy drink) and how to use it to create new recipes, replacing it with butter or cream, or as accompanying salads or summer dishes. Like these labneh tartufini.

How to do the labneh

To prepare the labneh mix 1 kg of yoghurt poured with a teaspoon of fine salt and pour it into a colander coated with several layers of cheesecloth, or with a clean cloth washed with neutral soap and without fabric softener. Place the colander on a bowl to collect the serum, close the gauze by rolling the edges and let the yogurt flow into the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. From time to time roll the gauze so as to further close the bundle. After this time you will get about 700 g of labneh and 300 g of serum.

How to make tartufini

The labneh is delicious simply spread on bread and a little oil, but for an aperitif I suggest you prepare savory truffles. With your hands form labneh balls, cold from the fridge, and roll them in the breading you have chosen: for example you can use dried aromatic herbs, chopped pistachio or other nuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds or paprika. You can make the labneh balls early, but I suggest you cover them at the last moment to prevent the breading from getting too moist.

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Homemade Cream Cheese – The Labneh Way

This recipe video is inspired by a Lebanese yogurt cheese
spread called Labneh, but I decided to call it homemade cream cheese because my
sources deep inside Google tell me that “cream cheese” is searched for more
often than “labneh.” In fairness, and with apologies to my Lebanese fans, it really is
almost identical in texture and mouthfeel.


Like I say in the video, the taste is a bit bolder and
tangier than that stuff from Philly, but when is that ever a bad thing? Michele
found some amazing sheep’s milk yogurt at a local farmer’s market, and it was
incredible in this, but I’ve used regular yogurt and it works wonderfully as well.

You can use it as you would any commercial cream cheese, but
the honey and pistachio variation I tacked on to the end would make for a
memorable holiday brunch addition. On the savory side, you can’t beat simply
drizzling over some olive oil and eating as a spread with crispy bread or pita
chips.


Most recipes for this say you can eat it after one day, but
I really think the two-day “aging” and pressing process does great things. The
taste mellows out a bit, and the texture gets even denser and richer feeling. Besides,
if you don’t press it, you won’t get those signature, and ultra sexy
cheesecloth fabric marks! I hope you give this homemade cream cheese a try
soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for about two heaping cups of cream cheese:
1 quart yogurt, try to get something really nice from a
dairy, or use Greek-style
1 tsp kosher salt or to taste
cheesecloth
*If needed, use a paper towel to blot off any additional moisture that come to the top during the 2-day pressing in the fridge.
Note: I’ve only made this one way, so I’m not sure what
happens if you deviate from the recipe and use low-fat yogurt, etc. Let me know
if you try something different!

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