Labna, Lebaneh, Laben Recipe

Directions:

1. To make the yoghurt, pour a gallon of milk in a pot with a very heavy bottom and put it on the fire until it starts to boil, or even just foam heavily.
2. Stir occasionaly to prevent the milk from burning.
3. Turn off the heat and let the milk cool (stir to cool quicker) just until you can stick your pointer finger way down it without getting burned.
4. Take the active yoghurt culture and pour it down the side of the pan into the milk. I usually do this is a couple of different spots.
5. Cover the milk with a close fitting lid and wrap the pot well in a heavy blanket or two. You are holding in that heat, and it will soon start to generate it's own heat, which you are also conserving with the blanket.
6. Place it somewhere warm where it won't be disturbed for 24 hours. I have successfully made this after the yoghurt was let to develop from 24 - 36 hours.
7. If you'd rather, merely wrap the pot in a bath-towel -wrap the lid too- and set it on a heating pad on low. I've started doing this and it works great too.
8. After you have yoghurt, dump it into an inside out pillow case (lint will be in the inside corners) and suspend the pillow case up over a drain of some sort. I tie mine up to the safety bar on the wall over the bathtub (less traffic than the kitchen sink).
9. The yoghurt will begin to drain whey immediately, I let mine go for 24-36 hours depending on how stiff or soft (w/ remaining liquid content) I want it. Usually 24 hours.
10. When it's as firm as you'd like, turn the cheese into a mixing bowl and salt to taste. I use around 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons salt. I know, it's a lot. I think the salt was originally a preservative, but that's the way I like it.
11. Elias' mum used to make balls of this cheese and store it in stoneware crocks, covered in olive oil. I keep it in a mixing bowl in the fridge, smoothed flat and covered in olive oil. It keeps a long time like that. If it's going to be eaten quickly, doesn't need the oil for preserving, just eating : ).
12. Enjoy this for a n Arabic breakfast with flat bread (pita) and olive oil. It is also good flavored with garlic, dill or za'ater to your taste. Also pine nuts!