Roasted Cauliflower and Labne Spread Recipe

Labne is a Lebanese cow's milk cream cheese made from yogurt. It's less tart than American cream cheeses but it's ridiculously unctuous. While delicious with sumac all on its own, I wanted to add some texture and nutty sweetness with a purée of cauliflower, roasted into golden brown vegetable candy. Sumac's fruitiness gives the cauliflower much-needed dimensionality, and its tartness cuts through the rich labne.

You can serve this with crackers for a quick-and-easy appetizer, or as a dip for a vegetable course. I enjoy it with roast beets doused in vinegar, and other light vegetables like asparagus that have enough going on to stand up to an intense dip.

When prepping your cauliflower, cut it into smaller pieces than if you were to serve it roasted. This increases the surface area available for browning and gives a much stronger flavor to the spread. If you can't find labne, cream cheese will work here, though you'll probably need less lemon.