Greek halloumi cheese won’t melt and drip all over your barbecue

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This article was published 23/06/2012 (5033 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

55Sometimes called Greek grilling cheese, halloumi is just that — a dense cheese that holds its shape and won’t drip through the grates when grilled. And when you chew it? It makes a squeaky sound against your teeth.

Luckily, mouth noises aren’t the real selling point of this cheese. Taste and versatility are what will drive you to find this relative of feta cheese.

Traditionally made from sheep’s milk on the island of Cyprus, halloumi today often is made from blends of sheep, goat and cow’s milk. The taste is tangy and salty with a mild, “milky” flavour — all characteristics that make it an excellent base for other flavours.

Now, as to that melting thing. Or rather, lack of.

Halloumi is one of a small class of cheeses that do not melt when heated. Others include Latin cuisine’s queso blanco and queso de freir, and India’s paneer. While these cheeses will soften when heated, they won’t change their shape.

It’s all a matter of acid. A cheese with either lots of acid or very little acid won’t melt. Halloumi has lots, which is why you really can toss it directly on the grill.

Halloumi is popular throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East, where it often is cubed and threaded onto skewers for grilling.

 

Grilled Cheese Salad

250-g (8.8-oz) package halloumi cheese

500 ml (1 pint) cherry or grape tomatoes

4 ears corn, husks removed

1 medium red onion, halved

2 apples (any variety), halved and cored

Olive oil

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 ml (1 tsp) chopped fresh oregano

Salt and ground black pepper

Heat the grill to high.

Prepare the ingredients for the grill. Slice the halloumi into 4 equal slabs. Thread the tomatoes onto wooden skewers. Brush the corn, onion halves and apple halves with olive oil.

Place the corn on the grill and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the corn, then add the apples and onions, cut side down, and grill for another 5 minutes. Add the cheese and grill for 3 minutes, then flip the cheese, turn the corn, add the tomatoes and grill for another minute or 2.

Transfer everything to a plate and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble each salad, set a slab of halloumi on each serving plate.

Cut the kernels off the corn. To do this, one at a time stand each ear on its wide end and use a serrated knife to saw down the length of it.

Roughly chop the onion and apples.

In a medium bowl, gentle toss together the corn kernels, tomatoes (removed from the skewers), onions and apples. Drizzle with half of the dressing and toss.

Mound a quarter of the salad mixture over each slab of halloumi, then sprinkle with lemon zest and additional dressing.

Start to finish: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

— The Associated Press