Continuing the Labneh experiment from Day 139, I want to notch up the experience by working with fresh figs. I’ve never baked with this fruit in a not dried state, and I’m so glad I did. Not only are figs completely beautiful little bobbles, their meat is soft, and their skin is as delicate as their flavor.

This is technically considered a dessert, though not very sweet, and if paired with baguette and some Stilton Blue makes for a pretty memorable moment at a plate.

Enjoy…

Roasted Figs

with Thyme, Honey, and Labneh

Ingredients:

• 4 fresh figs
• 4 Tablespoons honey
• 4-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1/2 cup cold Labneh

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Crumple a piece of parchment paper in a baking pan

and spread it out within.

This will collect the honey around your fig and not let it run away…

Slice your fig crosswise, about 3/4 down, but don’t cut through the bottom.

Place them in your pan,

and gently spread them apart with your fingers, keeping the flesh in tact and and bottom connected.

Place a sprig of thyme within the slice,

drizzle a Tablespoon of honey in the center,

and roast at 350° for 20 minutes.

If you’ve strained your Labneh overnight, it will be a thick, cream cheese consistency.

Scoop them into a serving dish, dollop your Labneh on the side, and drizzle with honey drippings from the pan.

Yep.

Uh-huh.

Yes.

This recipe is credited to Rukmini Iyer’s, The Middle Eastern Kitchen

Every once in a while, I’ll come across a food whose name I do not recognize. “Labneh” is one of them. Mostly served in Middle-Eastern cuisine, it’s an EXTREMELY simple yogurt based creme that can accompany both the savory and the sweet.

I cannot tell you how something so simple can be so amazing, but it usually works that way, doesn’t it?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Greek whole milk yogurt
• ½ teaspoon ground sea salt
• drizzle with honey to accompany sweet dishes or olive oil to accompany savory

Line a strainer with a single thickness of cheesecloth and place the strainer over a bowl to catch the drippings.

Mix the yogurt and salt.

Plop them on the cheesecloth.

Pull the edges of the cloth together

and twist until some liquid starts to squeeze out.

You don’t need to wring this out, just make it snug

and tie with a rubber band.

Store it in the refrigerator while it drains.

After four hours, you’ll have something like this

that has the consistency of cream cheese.

While I have grand plans for this tomorrow, I couldn’t wait to try it, today. An impromptu snack is born:

With a sweet peach and a honey drizzle, I cannot tell you how sensuous an afternoon snack this was.

I’m not a huge fan of ham salad. It always seems too pink and too mushy to be real food. Also, it looks like brains.

BUT, when you have 4+ pounds of frozen ham in a freezer that needs defrosting (and you’re all out of split peas), what do you make?

Ham Salad.

My good thing today was creating a batch that I like. I liked it so much, in fact, I ate about a cup right out of the container before I could even get it on the bread. It’s good on crackers. It’s good on sourdough, it’s good on wheat. It’s ridiculous on buttered toast, with a  fried egg.

Ham salad is officially vindicated.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups (1 lb, 9 oz.) cooked, real ham (no deli meat)
• 1 Tablespoon spicy brown mustard
• 1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
• 2/3 cup of GOOD mayonnaise*
• 1/4 cup diced dill pickles
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme**
• 1/4 teaspoon rosemary**
• (salt as needed to correct flavor, but the ham is usually pretty salty on it’s own)

To correct the “mush” factor, I started by boiling the ham in just enough water to cover the meat half way up the pot. This made a drier ham with a corned beef texture and leaves you with great broth to cook rice or pasta in. It also makes going straight from the freezer super snappy.

When the ham is heated through and your broth is bubbling,

strain it out of the liquid and set it aside until it’s cooled.

Shred it.

Throw it in a bowl with the remaining ingredients.

Stir until well combined, but don’t pulverize it. (I like a drier salad, so my mayo quantity is low. Feel free to add more to your liking!)

Correct with salt and pepper as needed and chill.

I served this on sourdough with a side of greens, dried tart cherries, and a sharp Irish Cheddar.

Mmmmmmm……

…brains.

* The taste of the mayo really comes through in this salad, so be sure to use a  quality spread that you like the taste of on it’s own. It should have a fresh, eggy tang.

**I also tried Herbs de Provence in a batch and that was delicious. Not everyone likes all the herbs in this blend, so I opted for thyme and rosemary to please more palates. If I were making it just for me though, I’d omit the thyme and rosemary and go with 1 1/4 teaspoon Herbs de Provence, all the way.

***If the salad dries out in the fridge after a day or two, refresh it with a Tablespoon of fresh mayo and a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of yellow mustard.