Baked labneh with caramelised peach and urfa chilli flakes

This is a deeply satisfying dish, not too sweet, not too savoury. Serve it as part of a meze or simply with grilled bread.

Eat the seasons!

Peaches and other stone fruit are a perennial crop, that grows particularly well in the UK. Locally grown fruit is often the most delicious, due to the short distance from farm to table, the delicate fruit can be picked riper and, when bought in season, doesn’t have to be kept in inefficient storage conditions for prolonged periods of time that can deplete flavour and nutrition. If you do buy imported soft fruits check they haven’t been air-freighted, as this is the most carbon heavy type of food transportation. Although air freight is responsible for less than 1% of UK food miles, it produces 11% of the carbon dioxide emissions*. 

The Art of Seasoning:

Explore the incredible world of spices to create your own unique seasonings. There are an estimated 50,000 pepper varieties in existence, ranging from mild to blow your head off, each with its own complex and distinctive flavour profile. Urfa peppers are a very mild variety grown in Turkey. They have a dark purple-black colour and smokey raisin-like flavour that lifts this dish to a whole new level.

 Ingredients 

• 1kg natural or plant-based yoghurt, strained overnight through a muslin (method below)
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• Zest and juice from 1/4 organic lemon
• 8 sprigs thyme, picked
• 3 tsp urfa chilli flakes, or other to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil to taste
• 2-3 English peaches or other stone fruit, cut in quarters, stone removed
• 2 tbsp maple syrup, plus more to serve
• 3 sprigs of fennel fronds or celery leaves
• Grilled bread to serve

Preheat the oven to 200°C

To make the labneh:

Stir the salt into the yoghurt. Pour into a bowl lined with a clean cloth or muslin. Tie the top and hang above the bowl. 8-12 hours gives a soft, spreadable labneh. Up to 36 hours gives something firmer and more intensely tangy. Drink the whey cold with a pinch of salt, use it in bread dough, stir into soups, or feed a sourdough starter. 

To make the baked labneh:

Mix the labneh with the garlic, lemon zest, juice, half the thyme, a teaspoon of the chilli flakes and a little extra virgin olive oil. Turn the mixture into an enamel dish and level out with a knife. Place the fruit quarters on top of the labneh, sprinkle with the remaining urfa chilli flakes, and drizzle with the maple syrup. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until coloured. Serve sprinkled with the remaining thyme leaves and a scattering of fennel fronds or celery tops and some grilled bread to dip into it.

Choose organic peaches and stone fruit when available, a lot of pesticides are used in their conventional horticulture to protect their cosmetic appearance.