I had some leftover Roquefort and I had some labneh in a jar. I had seen a mousse made with Roquefort and cream in ELLE Table (No.67, December 2010 issue); but, hey, I am Lebanese, I eat labneh and I like to play in the kitchen, so that’s what I came up with.

P.S: Alice (my 16-year old) did not like it, because she is not crazy about Roquefort. Fine, make it without it! Add red pepper paste or something!

INGREDIENTS: This quantity will yield 3 (5-ounce) ramequins of cheese mousse.

• 1 jar of labneh (or make your own,)
• 2 ounces of Roquefort (preferably, but can substitute any good blue cheese)
• 1 tablespoon  of gelatin in two  tablespoons  of water (can include a teaspoon of lemon juice or rice vinegar in the tablespoon of water)

METHOD:

1. Place the Roquefort and labneh in the food processor. Process till smooth. You should get one pint of cheese mixture.
2. Place the water (with the optional lemon juice)  in a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on top; let it rest for a few minutes. Heat in the microwave for 10 seconds or over simmering water to melt the gelatin.
3. Incorporate into the cheese mixture.
4. Pour the cheese mixture into a greased mold and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
5. Tap the cheese out of the mold into a plate. Garnish with spikes of celery or leave as is or make into little mice, if you are so inclined. Serve with crackers  or chips as an appetizer.

NOTE:

I used almonds for the mouse’s ears and feet, radish root for the tail, black peppercorns for the eyes and nose and pumpkin seed for the tongue.

These are sandwiches for a cocktail or happy hour. I have two different fillings to propose. One is simply mixing some blue cheese with labneh and the other is a tapénade, or a black olive paste with tuna. These can be made a day or two  ahead.

INGREDIENTS: To feed 4 to 6 people

• 10 slices of American-style sandwich bread or French pain de mie
• 1 bunch of Italian parsley
• 1/2 stick of butter, melted
• 1 ounce of bleu cheese or Roquefort
• 1/2 tub of labneh or substitute cream cheese mixed with 2 tablespoons of sour cream
• 1 cup of black olives, pitted
• 1 small can of tuna (3 oz)
• 1 teaspoon of anchovy paste
• 1 tablespoon of lemon
• 1 tablespoon of capers (optional)
• 3 or more tablespoons of olive oil
• a dash of herbs such as thyme, marjoram, lavender, oregano
• 3 cloves of garlic

METHOD:

1. Prepare the two fillings first; store them overnight or longer.

Cheese filling: Place the bleu cheese or Roquefort (preferably) in a food processor with the labneh or cream cheese and sour cream mixture. Labneh is available at all middle-eastern stores in tubs or you can make it at home by draining some yoghurt overnight over a sieve and a paper towel. Taste the mixture and when smooth, set it aside.

Olive and Tuna paste: Get all the ingredients ready and place them in a a food processor. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

1. Lay a long piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Place 5 pieces of toast on the plastic, side by side. Dab the filling on them and roll using the plastic to fold the bread over. Enclose the sandwich and let it sit in the refrigerator for a while or overnight.
2. To garnish the sandwiches, unroll them and dip them in a bowl of melted butter, then in a plate of chopped parsley. Place them back on the plastic wrap and roll them as tightly as possible and let them sit in the fridge for a while longer, up to 2 days.
3. When ready to serve, unroll and cut with a serrated knife and place side by side on a serving platter.
4. Garnish with the peel of a tomato if you wish, that has been rolled into a rose. That’s a very common garnish in Lebanese cuisine!

Source for this recipe was Ms. Marlene Mattar Maedat Marlene mina al-shark wal-gharb, adapted.