Hi, everyone! Here’s a recipe I wrote up for The Nosher, an awesome, Jewish/Israeli food mashup site I occasionally write for. You can get the full recipe there!
For me, summer desserts have to fit a few criteria. First off: they better be worth turning on the oven for. Second: if you don’t need to turn on the oven? Even better. Third: make it quick, make it cold, make it refreshing. And lastly: if it incorporates any seasonal fruit, I’m way, way in.
This tart fits all those criteria and more. Drawing inspiration from Middle Eastern sweets and ingredients, I used olive oil to make this crisp, crumbly press- in crust. The filling, delightfully reminiscent of cheesecake but decidedly less finicky, is a simple, no-bake mousse made of creamy labneh, rich heavy cream and a bit of sugar and vanilla. The filling firms up in the fridge, and once the tart’s set, it’s topped with sweet, pulpy figs and drizzles of lemon and cardamom infused honey. Pop it into the fridge to set for a bit more and voila- you’ve got an impressive, stunningly simple dessert.
If you’d like to make this even simpler? Just skip the crust and layer the figs, cardamom honey and labneh mousse in little glasses. Another idea? Turn the filling + fruit into a trifle with the addition of cubed pound cake, maybe pistachio or honey flavored. It’s completely versatile, but any way you serve it, you’ll love the combination of the slightly tart labneh and the honeyed, floral figs.
Enjoy fig season and all of summer’s goodies!
Chaya
Yields: one 10″ tart, serving 8
Why I love this recipe: an olive based, no-fail, press in tart crust bakes up crumbly and sturdy, the perfect base for a refreshing, cheesecake-like labneh mousse filling. Topped with floral figs and drizzled with lemon and cardamom infused honey, this simple-to-assemble tart is cool, cheesecake-like and impressive, a Middle Eastern inspired dessert for a midsummer night’s party.
Get the recipe here!
retrolillies 