Kismet Labneh
Kismet Copyright © 2024 by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Chris Bernabeo. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.
Kefir grains are the mysterious little fun-with-fermentation blobs that we use to culture fresh milk and cream into labneh. After several days, the dairy transforms, thickening and souring, at which point we remove the grains and drain off the liquid, resulting in the thick, spreadable kefir cheese known as labneh (or lebneh, lebni, or labaneh). The grains are endlessly reusable, and they continue to grow as you feed them (making them good gifts for fermentation-curious friends). Like any living thing, the grains need nourishment, so to keep them alive between batches, store them in milk in your fridge.
Get ahead: As this is a fermented product, this labneh holds in the fridge for a long time, up to 1 month. It will continue to ferment, so if you’re keeping it for longer than a few days (which is totally fine to do), you’ll just want to give it a stir every so often.
This recipe, and others like it, can be found in the article “This Is the Only Salmon You’ll Ever Need, Plus Other Dishes from L.A.’s Hottest Modern Middle Eastern Restaurant.”
How to Make It
1
In a plastic or glass container with a lid, stir together the cream and milk.
2
Put the kefir grains into a cheesecloth sachet or a metal tea ball and add to the dairy mixture. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2 to 4 days. Stir and taste daily. During this time, the dairy will begin to thicken and sour.
3
When you’ve achieved the desired level of sourness, around day 3 or 4, remove the sachet of grains, mix well, cover, and transfer the container to the fridge, to set up overnight.
4
Set a mesh sieve over a bowl and line it with a double layer of cheesecloth. Using a rubber spatula, and without mixing it, empty the dairy mixture into the cheesecloth. Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth over the labneh. Place the bowl with the sieve in the fridge overnight (or up to 2 nights for a very thick labneh). Then transfer the labneh to a bowl and season with salt.
Ingredients
4 cups heavy cream
2 ⅔ cups whole milk
1 tbsp milk kefir grains
1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
1
In a plastic or glass container with a lid, stir together the cream and milk.
2
Put the kefir grains into a cheesecloth sachet or a metal tea ball and add to the dairy mixture. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 2 to 4 days. Stir and taste daily. During this time, the dairy will begin to thicken and sour.
3
When you’ve achieved the desired level of sourness, around day 3 or 4, remove the sachet of grains, mix well, cover, and transfer the container to the fridge, to set up overnight.
4
Set a mesh sieve over a bowl and line it with a double layer of cheesecloth. Using a rubber spatula, and without mixing it, empty the dairy mixture into the cheesecloth. Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth over the labneh. Place the bowl with the sieve in the fridge overnight (or up to 2 nights for a very thick labneh). Then transfer the labneh to a bowl and season with salt.
