Thick, tart, and creamy, this yogurt-like cheese, when eaten together with olive oil, pita bread, and za’atar spice, makes a typical Galilean breakfast. This recipe first appeared in our May 2013 issue with Gabriella Gershenson’s article The Promised Land.
Labaneh
Thick, tart, and creamy, this yogurt-like cheese, when eaten together with olive oil, pita bread, and za'atar spice, makes a typical Galilean breakfast.
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole milk
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Olive oil, for serving
Instructions
- Bring milk to a boil in a 4-qt. nonreactive saucepan fitted with a deep-fry thermometer. Remove from heat and let cool until thermometer reads 118°. Transfer 1 cup milk to a bowl; whisk in yogurt until combined. Add yogurt mixture to saucepan and whisk until smooth; cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place (ideally 70°-75°) until thickened, 6-8 hours.
- Line a fine-mesh strainer with 3 layers of cheesecloth; set over a bowl. Transfer yogurt to strainer; let drain at least 8 hours or overnight. Transfer to a serving dish. Season with salt and drizzle with oil.