ITEMS
Zestar Apples
Cucumbers
Carrot Bunch
Fresh Mint
Honey
"Yonder" Labneh Cheese
Leeks (missing from last week's delivery)
PRODUCERS
Moss Farm - Rollins
Terra Greens Produce - Manhattan
Gallatin Valley Botanical - Bozeman
Amaltheia Organic Produce - Belgrade
Wustner Brothers - Missoula
Tucker Family Farm - Victor
Ploughshare Farm - Moiese
What labneh cheese is and how to use it:
Labneh is a soft, spreadable cheese made by straining the whey (liquid) out of yogurt. It's comparable in texture to a soft goat cheese or cream cheese, with the characteristic tang of plain yogurt. You can use labneh as-is, spread on crostini or bagels, or add a few dollops to a salad or pizza - anywhere you'd use goat cheese. And, like yogurt, it goes just as well with fresh fruit or oatmeal. I've also encountered some recipes using labneh instead of cream cheese in baked goods, like cheesecake.
This will be our last cheese from Tucker Family Farms...
I'm sad to report that Tucker Family Farm is shutting down their creamery next month. I know many of you have enjoyed their aged sheep's milk cheeses and feta as much as I have. They reached out to me last week specifically asking to share their Yonder cheese with you all as a way of saying goodbye and thanks for the support.
Simple Labneh Dip
Use this for fresh, crisp veggies like carrot and cucumber, crackers, or pita bread. Make a whole mezze platter with the dip, veggies, pita, plus some olives and hummus, if you like.
8 oz labneh cheese
olive oil
seasoning of your choice - plain old salt and pepper works great, or za'atar, or red pepper flakes, lemon zest, maybe grated garlic, or even some "Everything Bagel" seasoning would work well.
~1 Tbs mint leaves - sliced or chopped
Put the labneh in a dish, stirring to smooth if needed, then drizzle with a few swirls of olive oil, sprinkle on a bit of seasoning of your choosing, and top with mint leaves. That's it! Makes a simple and easy dip.
Rustic Apple Galette with Honey & Labneh
This recipe is largely based on one by Jacques Pepín. Makes 1 galette, or ~8 servings.
Galette crust:
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour - for GF, I think you can sub a GF 1-to-1 baking flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick plus 2 Tbs cold, unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
1/3 C ice water
Apple topping:
3-4 apples
2 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 Tbs honey
1 Tbs unsalted butter (cut into small pieces)
Labneh, for serving
In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, salt and butter and process for ~5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and process until the pastry just begins to come together, ~10 seconds; you should still be able to see small clumps of butter in the mix. [If you don't have a food processor, mix flour, sugar, and salt together, then cut in the butter with forks or a pastry cutter until the largest chunks are pea-sized. Sprinkle water over mixture and mix until it just comes together.] Transfer the pastry to a work surface, gather it together and quickly pat into a disk. Wrap the pastry in plastic or wax paper and refrigerate until your filling is ready, or longer if like.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Core apples and cut into 1/4-in thick slices. Take about half the slices- the end pieces, and broken ones, or too thick ones, and chop them into smaller pieces. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Gently warm up the honey, either in the microwave or on top of the warming oven. It should be easy to drizzle.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a roughly 12x14 inch rectangle or oval, then transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread the chopped apples over the dough, leaving 1 in or more around the edge. Drizzle ~1 Tbs honey over the chopped apples. Decoratively arrange the sliced apples on top in concentric circles or slightly overlapping rows. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the slices and dot with the pieces of butter. Fold the pastry in to cover a bit of the apples, creating a 1-in border. Gently fold or pinch the dough as needed to shape it around the apple filling. This is a free-form pie, so don't stress to much about how it looks. It will taste good!
Bake the galette ~1 hour, rotating the pan 1/2 way through, until the pastry is nicely browned and crisp and all of the apples are tender. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool somewhat. Serve warm or at room temp with a dollop of labneh drizzled with remaining honey.
Additional Recipes & Suggestions
Real Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies - this is a MUST TRY recipe. I love it.
Try this Maple Roasted Carrot Salad recipe, using labneh in place of goat cheese
A Mediterranean Salad, like this one, would put to use the cucumber, maybe carrot, labneh, and mint.
Smashed Cucumber Salad is a great side for any Asian-themed meal
This delivery had recipes for both roasted applesauce and quick pickled carrots,