Light and refreshing, creamy and rich, tangy and sweet – a perfect summer dessert!

I saw this recipe for a labneh (I think there are various spellings… but anyway, it’s just strained Greek yoghurt) tart that spiked my curiosity. It was served with fresh berries on top, but I adapted the quantities and swirled the fruit in the form of a coulis through the filling. You could use any berries you like for the coulis, or strained jam would be great, too. The labneh and coulis can both be made a day in advance, then it’s easy to throw together. This recipe makes more coulis than you need, but you can serve the tart with some extra, or freeze it for later use.

Labneh (strained yoghurt)

Ingredients

1kg (about 36oz) plain Greek yoghurt
1 tsp salt

Directions

Place a clean piece of doubled butter muslin, cheesecloth or soft cotton fabric in a colander and place the colander over a deep bowl.

Stir the salt into the yoghurt then spoon the yoghurt into the centre of the cheesecloth.

Bring the excess fabric together and secure with a rubber band.

Leave to drain for 6-8 hours. If the weather is hot, let it drain in the fridge.

Strawberry coulis

Ingredients

500g (about 18oz) fresh or frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

Wash, trim and quarter the strawberries.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, stir together the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until syrupy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

Using a blender or immersion mixer, purée until smooth, strain through a fine mesh strainer and set aside to cool completely.

The tart

Ingredients

pie pastry of your choice
3 large eggs
1/2 cup caster (superfine) sugar
2 tsp vanilla paste
all the labneh from above recipe
2/3 cup strawberry coulis from above recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease a 26cm (10″) tart dish.

Press the pastry dough into the dish and prick all over the bottom with a fork.

Line the dough with baking paper and fill with dry beans or pie weights and bake until set, 15 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the oven, remove pie weights and paper and allow to cool in the dish. Leave the oven on and reduce heat to 150°C (300°F).

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add the labneh and whisk until smooth. Pour filling to pastry shell. Spoon strawberry coulis over filling and swirl together using the tip of a knife.

Bake for about 50 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Chill before serving.