BEEF TARTARE ON TOAST WITH LABNEH

“We’re a bakery, so we wanted to do a lot of things on toast. This is an untraditional tartare that reflects my Middle Eastern background. The labneh — a super acidic type of yogurt — balances out the Aleppo pepper.”

SERVES 4 TO 6

Pickled Shallots

½ cup shallots or red onions ½ cup red wine vinegar 1 tbsp salt

½ tbsp sugar

Confit Garlic

2 peeled heads garlic ½ cup olive oil

Beef Tartare

4 slices sourdough bread (½" thick) 2 tbsp softened butter

150 g beef (the freshest beef tenderloin),

finely chopped by hand into ¼" dice 1 tbsp chopped chives,

plus more for garnish

2 tbsp Pickled Shallots (from above) 1 large clove Confit Garlic, with oil

(from above)

⅛ tsp black pepper

1 tsp Aleppo pepper (or crushed chili

flakes as alternative)

¼ tsp salt

4 tbsp labneh

4 tbsp toasted pine nuts

PICKLE SHALLOTS

1. In small bowl, combine ½ cup of slivered shallot or red onions, ½ cup of red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of salt and ½ tbsp of sugar, and let sit for 1 hour.

MAKE CONFIT GARLIC

1. In small pot, add 2 peeled heads of garlic and ½ cup of olive oil. Cook on low heat until garlic is lightly brown and soft, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. You can store in fridge for several weeks.

PREPARE TOAST AND TARTARE

1. Lightly butter both sides of bread and fry in pan over medium heat, until lightly browned on both sides. Reserve.

2. In mixing bowl, mix chopped beef, chives, Pickled Shallots, Confit Garlic with oil, pepper, Aleppo pepper and salt. Mix and adjust salt, as needed.

3. Spread 1 tbsp of labneh over each toast. Divide tartare evenly over toasts. Garnish with extra chives and pine nuts.