[Sca-cooks] Labneh as a substitute for "cream cheese"

[Christiane]

The talk about cream cheeses made me go look up the ingredients for the package of Ulker brand labneh (Turkish yogurt cheese) I have in the refrigerator now:

Pasteurized whole milk, milk fat, starter, salt.

I took a package of this yesterday and mixed it with garlic pepper, dried dill, and vegetable flakes into a dip for a party; the texture, dare I say it, is virtually identical to good old Philadelphia cream cheese, and the flavor is fresher and better; not quite the tang of plain sour cream or yogurt, but close.

When you first open the package, there is a little whey at the top; but this is easily mixed back in.

If you have a Turkish grocery or a store that sells Turkish foods near you, it's worth picking up (at about $3.29 a 16 ounce or so package), especially if you don't have the time to make your own by straining Greek plain yogurt. I would imagine labneh would make a good, guar-gum-free substitute for cream cheeses in your redactions.

Adelisa (who is now going to eat some leftover labneh dip with some baby carrots)