Labneh with poached pears
6
Easy
30 minutes, plus overnight chilling time
20 minutes
On our first night in Athens on our honeymoon, we were completely overwhelmed but eventually settled on a restaurant humming with activity. Food was ordered and soon our table was filled with an assortment of meze. After the food was cleared, a gorgeous light dessert was brought to the table “on the house”. This dish shares the same flavour profile and was inspired by the Greek dessert.
Ingredients
Method
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For the labneh:
- 1 litre plain full-cream yoghurt
- 8 pears, peeled and quartered
- 3 cups red wine
- 3 cups water
- 350 g white sugar
- 2 vanilla pods, seeded
Method
Ingredients
1. To make the labneh, spoon the yoghurt into a piece of cheesecloth. Bring the corners of the cheesecloth together and tie around a wooden spoon. Place the spoon across the top of a medium bowl so that the labneh hangs in the centre but does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Chill overnight. The following day, discard the whey in the bowl and set aside the curds (labneh).
2. To make the poached pears, place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the pears are tender but still firm and holding their shape. Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and allow to cool. Reduce the liquid to a syrupy consistency.
3. To serve, spread the labneh onto a plate. Top with the pears and drizzle over a little syrup.
Extracted with permission from Sunday Lunching at The Table by Brendan and Leigh Thorncroft.
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