Shavuot, which arrives about seven weeks after the start of Passover, is known as a time for eating milk and honey. Despite that tradition, the holiday celebrates both the wheat harvest in the Land of Israel and the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Inspired by both dairy and sweet, I created a dessert that’s lighter than your average cheesecake and takes full advantage of seasonal berries. Instead of classic cream cheese, I used tangy labneh, a yogurt cheese. Labneh tastes like Greek yogurt and cream cheese had a baby. It is slightly sour and super creamy and will become your new favorite ingredient.

I love using plain labneh to top my bagels. I also blend it with fresh herbs for a quick green pasta sauce or drizzle it with spicy olive oil and bagel spice for a quick dip. While labneh is delicious in savory recipes, I love its tartness in sweet ones as well. This tart is made using a simple butter crust with honey-lemon labneh as filling. Topped simply with fresh strawberries, it’s a light, summery dessert that’s perfect for Shavuot, which starts on the evening of May 25 this year.

Honey Labneh Strawberry Tart

Serves 8 to 10

Tart Crust

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• ¼ tsp. almond extract

Filling

• 1½ cups labneh (or full-fat Greek yogurt)
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ tsp. lemon zest

About 1 lb. strawberries, sliced

In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it’s incorporated and the mixture becomes a pebble-like texture.

Add the egg, vanilla and almond extract, pulsing to combine. Tip the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form into a disc. It should come together easily, without being sticky. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to three days.

To roll out the dough, remove it from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a few minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 11-inch circle. Carefully transfer to a tart pan (with a removable bottom, for best results). Use a knife to trim the excess dough from the edges. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to reduce shrinkage.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Surround the tart pan with aluminum foil and cover the bottom of the crust with parchment paper. Add a pie weight or dried beans to the crust to ensure it comes out even.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and fully dry. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the labneh, honey and lemon zest. Set aside.

Stem and slice the strawberries. Set aside.

Once the tart shell is fully cooled, fill with the labneh filling and top with strawberries. Serve immediately.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by J. The Jewish News (@jewishnews_sf)