Labneh with Balsamic Marinated Strawberries

May 2

Creamy and tart labneh topped with strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar for an easy and unique berry season appetizer.

Serves 8-10.

This year, I am on a journey to be more creative with drinks and appetizers. That being said, I did create another variation of a fruit made savory on top of cheese. What can I say, I’m with Joey Tribiani when it comes to appetizers: Fruit? Good. Cheese? Good. Crackers? Goooooood. While I want to be more creative with appetizers, I also want to keep them simple enough that you’ll look at the recipe and think: “I’ll think actually make that.”

Labneh is a Middle Eastern strained yogurt that comes out similar to softened cream cheese, and can be used as a dip, spread on toasts and can be topped with all sorts of sweet or savory foods . It’s also ridiculously easy to make, you just need to plan ahead, which you should be doing for most dinner parties.

What You’ll love about this recipe

It’s easy! My favorite dinner party recipes are impressive and yet ridiculously easy to make. This comes together in just about ten minutes, which is great for a dinner party.
It is fun to introduce new foods to your guests. Unless you grew up or around in a culture that makes labneh, you’ve probably never had it before (I don’t even think I tried Greek Yogurt until High School), and novelty and new foods are one of the most fun parts of creating a menu for a dinner party.
You don’t need to turn on the oven. I think summer recipes should take advantage of fresh produce, and the warmer weather by minimizing cooking whenever possible (no need to have another reason to turn on the air conditioner).

Supplies Needed:

Cheese cloth
A very fine mesh strainer or coffee strainer
Measuring cups and spoons
Cutting board and chefs knife
Serving Tray

Ingredients:
2 cups of Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (must be whole milk)

¼ tsp sea salt, plus more for seasoning the strawberries

2 cups fresh strawberries

1-2 tsp High Quality Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

½ teaspoon Fresh Black Pepper

Finishing olive oil, for drizzling

Fresh bread, focaccia, or crackers (I liked Trader Joe’s Wheat thins and pita crackers)

Method:

The night before you plan to serve, make the labneh. There are a couple of methods you can use:

Mix the salt into the yogurt, and place in a double lined cheesecloth (like a cheesecloth folded over on itself), and tie around a wooden spoon. Place it in a bowl or jar deep enough so that there is room for the whey to drip out without touching the ball (I found a 32 oz deli container worked well for this).
Place a fine mesh strainer over a container deep enough that the whey won’t reach the strainer. I saw someone suggest a strainer from a pourer, and found my Kinto metal pouroverer strainer worked quite well. Lay cheesecloth or even a coffee filter over the strainer/coffee filter.

After you decide your straining method, and set it up, scoop the yogurt mixture into the strainer, and place in the fridge overnight.

You will end up with thickened yogurt, or labneh, and the whey liquid underneath. Save the whey, and it can be used in baking, in smoothies, or to keep cheeses like burrata or feta hydrated.

At least ten minutes before you plan to serve and up to 4 hours, prepare the strawberries. Start by removing the green stem, and chopping, trying to keep all pieces roughly the same size. Place strawberries in a bowl, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. You don’t need a whole lot, and you’ll be tasting to adjust to make sure it’s balanced (I believe in you). Add brown sugar, sea salt, and black pepper, and stir to combine. Taste and if it is too sweet drizzle more vinegar and/or salt until the recipe sings and everything is balanced. It should taste bright, savory, and sweet.

Dollop the labneh onto the plate or bowl you plan to serve on, and have fun with it! I kept mine messy, but you can do a fun swirl pattern or alternating rows of labneh and strawberries.

Drizzle with high quality olive oil, and use a fork or slotted spoon to scoop the strawberries onto the labneh, leaving the juices behind. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes, and black pepper, being sure to let some black pepper fall on the cheese.