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Recipe Detail Page
Pickled Strawberries and Labneh on Cracker Bread
Early Summer 2024
A quick pickling gives the season’s first strawberries a gentle savoury edge and makes them shine in gorgeous crostini with tangy labneh. You can make the berries up to 2 days ahead, though they will become sharper in flavour and softer in texture the longer you let them cure. Splash the leftover brine into soda water for a refreshing, shrub-type beverage.
Serves 6 to 8
1 tbsp (15 mL) pink peppercorns
2 tsp (10 mL) coriander seeds
1 tsp (5 mL) mustard seeds
1 cup (250 mL) apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
1/2 cup (125 mL) honey
1 tsp (5 mL) Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1/2 tsp (2 mL) fine sea salt
2 cups (500 mL) local firm-ripe strawberries, about 330 g, hulled
Fresh basil sprigs to garnish, preferably green and purple
1 cup (250 mL) labneh
Seeded cracker bread
1. Combine peppercorns and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. Lightly crush. Place in a small saucepan with mustard seeds, vinegar, water, honey and salt over medium heat. Stir to combine. When mixture starts simmering, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2. Halve or quarter strawberries, depending on size. Place in a 3-cup (750-mL) jar or tall, thin container. Pour cooled brine overtop and press piece of plastic wrap on top of liquid to keep berries submerged. Let stand at room temperature for 5 hours or refrigerate overnight— berries should have shrunk slightly and become lightly pickled.
3. Drain berries. Arrange basil sprigs in a small bottle of water to keep fresh. Serve berries in a bowl with labneh, basil and cracker bread alongside. Alternatively, break cracker bread into rough pieces, smear with labneh and top with berries and basil to serve as pre-made hors d’oeuvre.
Serves 6 to 8
