poached
quince
gorgonzola
labeneh
tart
AO 13 MARCH 2023
Cheese course for 12 pax
1 x 25cm blind baked savoury pastry case…please click here for a great savoury pastry recipe
for the quinces
6 quinces, peeled and quartered
750g caster sugar
300g Vine Valley white wine vinegar
3L water
1 cinnamon stick
1 clove
for the labeneh
6 x minimum 61g room temperature egg yolks
10g maldon sea salt
3g coarsely and freshly ground black pepper
800g labeneh…please click here to find out how to make your own labeneh
other
500g Gorgonzola piccante, broken into pieces and divided roughly into two
for the quinces
Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan and place it on high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then turn the heat to a very low simmer. Continue cooking, adding small amounts of water if required) until they are translucent and deep pink. It is difficult to put a precise time on this as it depends on how ripe and how long the fruit has been picked.
for the labeneh
Whisk together the egg yolks, salt and pepper and then mix into the labeneh.
to assemble the tart
pre-heat oven to 180°C
Starting with a layer of the labeneh mixture spread one half of the mix over the base of the tart case. Put a layer of Gorgonzola, then a layer of quince and then cover with the remaining half of the labeneh mixture. Do another layer of Gogonzola and the decoratively finish with a layer of quince.
Bake the tartfor 40-50 minutes. Stand on a rack to cool for at least one hour before removing from the ring and cutting.
Making your own labeneh
Labeneh is a staple of the Middle Eastern kitchen. Whilst it is simple enough to make making sure your tea towel is sterilised is good advice. Equally good advice food service gloves should be used when packing it.
We make a large batch, starting with 5kg quality plain yoghurt and vac it so that we can use it at any time. Traditionally it is balled and stored at cellar temperature, approximately 14-16°C. We keep ours in the fridge.
Choose a cool day with nothing much else happening in the kitchen and start before midday. Take a 5L bucket, sit a sieve on top and line it with the sterilised tea towel. Over the day spoon yoghurt into the sieve, adding more as it drains off. Drain the bucket as required. By the end of the day you should have been able to add the entire 5l of yoghurt to the towel.
Select a bowl large enough to site the sieve in. Put a 5cm stainless steel ring in the bottom of the bowl and sit the sieve on top. Wrap the tea towel over the top and refrigerate. Drain and wash the bowl and ring every day for 3-4 four days until you have a very thick quark like consistency.
Vac or ball and store in EVO.