Fennel Roasted Strawberries Labneh Crostini

Ingredients

• 1 lb strawberries
• 2 cups greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon honey to drizzle
• few fresh mint leaves
• baguette bread slices

Instructions

1. 1

   Fold the cheesecloth in half and layer it on a colander. Place the colander on the sink or a bigger bowl. Drop the Greek yogurt on the cheesecloth and tie the edge of the cheesecloth to drain out all the excess water from the yogurt. Leave the colander aside for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

2. 2

   Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 175 C

3. 3

   Trim the top of the strawberries and the slice it in half or quarter. Layer it on a baking pan.

4. 4

   Roughly crush the fennel seeds and sprinkle half ot it evenly on the strawberries along with salt.

5. 5

   Bake it for 15 to 17 minutes.

6. 6

   The roasted strawberries can be made in advance and stored in an airtight glass jar in the refrigerator.

7. 7

   To prepare the labneh dip/spread, untie the cheesecloth and put the labneh on a serving plate. Add a little honey and some roasted fennel seeds, finely chopped mint along with a pinch of salt and whisk.

8. 8

   Spread the labneh on the plate and then, using the back of your spoon against the labneh, press it down lightly as you rotate the plate to create swirls. Spoon the roasted strawberries on top along with the juice. Don’t cover the labneh completely. Drizzle honey and garnish with fresh mint.

9. 9

   The bread slices could either be roasted using a broiler in your oven or on a hot pan. Or, you could just grill the bread slices.