Berry platter with sheep milk labneh and orange oil

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This display of the season’s best can double up as a light dessert or as a brunch centerpiece. You can make your own labneh but it requires draining the yogurt for a good 24 hours, or you can make everything easily on the day using store-bought labneh or some Greek-style yogurt mixed with a little heavy 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 that 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.

SERVES

Ingredients

Labneh:

3-2/3 cups/900 grams sheep milk yogurt or cow milk yogurt
1/2 teaspoon table salt

7 tablespoons good-quality olive oil
10 grams lemon thyme sprigs, plus a few whole thyme leaves
1 orange: finely shave the peel to get 6 strips
1-1/3 cups/200 grams blackberries
2 cups/250 grams raspberries
3 cups/300 grams strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise (or quartered if they’re larger)
1/4 cup/50 grams superfine sugar
1 lime: finely zest to get 1 teaspoon, then juice to get 1 tablespoon
1-1/4 cups/200 grams blueberries
2/3 cup/150 grams cherries, pitted

Directions

For the labneh: Line a colander with a piece of muslin large enough to hang over the sides and place the colander over a bowl. Put the yogurt and salt into a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Transfer the yogurt to the muslin and fold over the sides to completely encase the yogurt. Place a heavy weight over the muslin (a few cans or jars will do) and transfer to the fridge to drain for at least 24 hours or up to 48 hours.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil into a small saucepan, for which you have a lid, on medium heat. Heat gently for about seven minutes, or until tiny air bubbles form. Remove from the heat, add the lemon thyme sprigs and orange strips, and then cover and let infuse, ideally overnight, though 30 minutes will also do the job.
Put 1/3 cup/50 grams of the blackberries, 3/4 cup/100 grams of the raspberries, and 1/3 cup/100 grams of the strawberries into the bowl of a small 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 straight away or leave in the fridge for a few hours, bringing back to room temperature before serving.)
Spread the labneh out on a large platter. Spoon in the berries, then sprinkle with the lime zest. Drizzle with two tablespoons of the infused oil, dot with a couple of the orange strips and whole thyme leaves, and serve at once.