While cream cheese is more widely available, if you are able to make this tart with labneh, you will be very glad you did. The tart will be a bit saltier, a touch smoother and a whole lot tangier. Oh, and you absolutely do not need to bake it in a bain marie, a technique that gets filed directly under ‘Yeah, I’m not gonna do that.’
Ingredients
For the crust
150g Ritz Crackers or Nilla Wafers
2tbsp light brown sugar
60g unsalted butter, melted
Pinch kosher salt or sea salt flakes
For the filling
450g full-fat cream cheese, preferably at room temperature, or 500g labneh (strained yogurt)
250g sour cream or full-fat Greek-style yogurt
110g white sugar
2 large eggs
3tbsp grapefruit, lemon, lime or orange juice
Fresh citrus fruit, halved or sliced, to serve (optional)
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/mark 3.
To make the crust, pulse the crackers in a food processor until a fine crumb (not powder) is achieved, or by hand in a resealable bag with a rolling pin. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the sugar and butter with a pinch of kosher salt. Mix until the crumbs are evenly coated and you have a wet-sand texture.
Press the crust into an unlined 23cm-diameter tart or springform tin, or into a cake tin lined with baking paper. Press the crumb mixture in well.
Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown at the edge, for about 10-15 minutes.
To make the filling, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar in a food processor and whizz until impossibly smooth and well blended. Add the eggs, fruit juice and a pinch of sea salt, and keep processing until it is even smoother and creamier than before.
Pour the mixture into the baked crust and bake until the whole thing is set and no longer jiggles when tapped, for 25-35 minutes. It should not brown at all.
Turn the oven off and open the door a crack. Let the tart sit in there for about 15 minutes, before transferring it to a wire rack on a counter to cool completely.
Place the tart in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. This gradual cooling is to prevent any unsightly cracks appearing on the surface.
Sprinkle with a little sea salt. You can serve the tart with some fresh citrus fruit of your choosing.
This is an edited extract from Nothing Fancy by Alison Roman.
Feature Image: Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott
