Berry platter with sheep's labneh and orange oil

Jonathan Lovekin

Multi-layered, textural vegetable-based recipes are at the heart of Israeli-British chef and writer Yotam Ottolenghi's food. His new cookbook Flavour — the third installment in the bestselling and multi-award-winning Plenty series — is no different. Ottolenghi and his co-writer Ixta Belfrage break down the foundations for creating great flavour, exploring the process, pairing and produce behind each recipe. Of this dish Ottolenghi says:

This display of the season’s best can double up as a light dessert or as a brunch centrepiece. You can make your own labneh but it requires draining the yoghurt for a good 24 hours, or you can make everything easily on the day using shop bought labneh or some Greek-style yoghurt mixed with a little double cream. The berries you use are totally up to you, depending on what’s good and not too expensive. You can use fewer types, or some frozen berries, if you like, especially for those which get blitzed in the recipe. You’ll make more oil than you need; store it in a glass jar to drizzle over salads or lightly cooked vegetables.

Ingredients

900 g	sheep yoghurt, or you can use cow's yoghurt (Main)
½ tsp	Salt
100 ml	Olive oil
10 g	Lemon thyme, plus a few extra picked thyme leaves to serve (Main)
1	Orange, finely shave the skin to get 6 strips (Main)
200 g	Blackberries
250 g	Raspberries
300 g	Strawberries, hulled and halved lengthways
50 g	Caster sugar
1	Lime, finely grate the zest to get 1 tsp, then juice to get 1 tbsp
200 g	Blueberries
150 g	Cherries (Main)

Directions

1. Put the yoghurt and salt into a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Line a colander with a piece of muslin large enough to hang over the sides and place the colander over a bowl. Transfer the yoghurt to the muslin and fold over the sides to completely encase the yoghurt. Place a heavy weight over the muslin (a few tins or jars will do), and transfer to the fridge to drain for at least 24 hours (and up to 48).
2. Meanwhile, put the oil into a small saucepan, for which you have a lid, on a medium heat. Heat gently for about 7 minutes, or until tiny air bubbles form. Remove from the heat, add the thyme and orange strips, then cover with a lid and leave to infuse, ideally overnight, though half an hour will also do the job.
3. The next day, put 50g of blackberries, 100g of raspberries and 100g of strawberries into the small bowl of a food processor along with the sugar and lime juice and blitz until completely smooth. Put all the remaining berries and the cherries into a large bowl along with the blitzed fruit and gently combine. You can serve it straight away or leave it in the fridge for a few hours, bringing it back to room temperature before serving.
4. Spread the labneh out on a large platter. Spoon over the berries, then sprinkle with the lime zest. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the infused oil, along with a couple of the orange strips and the extra picked thyme leaves.