Saturday, June 6, 2015

Grilling Cheese...Not Grilled Cheese! #Recipe @PegCochran

I have probably subscribed to half a zillion recipe sites and get multiple recipes per day (which make me really hungry while I'm sitting at my desk!)  Recently I received an email about a cheese that was new to me--haloumi (alternatively halloumi.)  The recipe indicated it could be grilled in a pan or on an outdoor grill and would get crusty on the outside and remain creamy on the inside but wouldn't melt into a puddle of mess.

This description is from Cheese.com: 
Halloumi is a Cypriot firm, brined, slightly springy white cheese, traditionally made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk, although these days cow’s milk is also used. Its texture is similar to that of mozzarella or thick feta, except that it has a strong, salty flavour imbibed from the brine preserve. Cooking the Halloumi removes all its saltiness and empowers it with a creamy texture.
Since the cheese has a high melting point, it can be easily fried or grilled.

Recipes included the cheese as an appetizer, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with various herbs and spices, as an addition to a salad or as part of a main course.  It all sounded so yummy, I was determined to try it.  Sadly, I could not find haloumi in Grand Rapids where I live, but I did find a comparable cheese--Yanni's Grilling Cheese.  It's made with cow's milk as opposed to sheep's or goat's milk but I decided to try it.

I learned a few things--if you're putting it on a gas grill, you need to slice it quite thickly or it will melt and slip between the grates on the grill.  But I also learned it was delicious!  Next time I'll try grilling it inside in a pan.


Here's the cheese I found.


Next time I will make the slices much thicker!



I tossed some grape tomatoes with olive oil and roasted at 400 degrees until wrinkled.


I topped a salad of red leaf lettuce, red onion, black olives and pine nuts with the pieces of grilled cheese.


And served with skewers of grilled shrimp

I've found recipes for making your own haloumi (with cow's milk, not sheep or goat!) so stay tuned because I really want to try it!  I'll definitely share my experience with you!

Coming in August! I'm really excited about my Cranberry Cove series and Berried Secrets will be the first.  Like me on Facebook because I will be doing a giveaway of an advance reader copy in early July.  And stop by my web site and sign up for my newsletter for an advance preview of Berried Secrets!


17 comments:

  1. Very interesting! Please keep us updated on your endeavor to make it. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I will definitely put it up when I try making it. Perfect project for a rainy day.

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  2. That is so cool! I have never heard of grilling cheese before. :)

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  3. your dinner looks amazing Peg! I've had that cheese served in a big gooey hunk as an appetizer and then set on fire at the table:). so you can look forward to that!

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    1. I set enough things on fire by accident...not sure I need to do it on purpose lol! I plan to try it as an appetizer because it was so good!

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  4. I just tried this cheese last weekend as an accompaniment to a grilled pork tenderloin. Cheese was a hit with my friends. Going to use the rest of it this weekend but will cut the cubes a little bigger. I found it at Whole Foods - 8 oz. package.

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    1. Ah, you're one of the lucky ones with a Whole Foods near you. ;( Sadly we don't have one although we've heard a Trader Joe's is coming!

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  5. Now you're making me hungry! Grilled cheese sounds like a great addition to a salad.

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  6. That I'd like to see! We at MLK could do a whole batch of "recipes you set on fire"!

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  7. We microwaved some cheese a few years ago until it got all brown and crusty. It was very good! We did it on a glass plate and it would spread out and then brown. But you must be careful that it doesn't burn. The taste is probably very similar. But I will be watching for your cheese recipe.

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    1. Elaine, it tasted a bit like mozzarella only a little "earthier" with a wonderfully creamy center.

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    2. Yum! (We don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's anywhere near either. We're lucky to have two grocery stores.)

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  8. What a treat! I've read about this cheese, but I wasn't inspired to look for it. Which is odd because I"m a cheese freak.
    Now, based on your experience, I will have to try it.

    I worked, briefly, in a cheese store in a mall many years ago. We encouraged people to sample the cheeses, even if it was one they bought regularly. You never knew what the cows might have gotten into! There were none to subtle people who would ask for a sample of almost everything, obviously having lunch at our expense. Our solution was to give them a taste of aged provolone and tell them that after that cheese they'd have to wait a while before being able to properly appreciate the flavor or any milder cheese!

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    1. I would be dangerous working in a cheese shop! I'd be eating my way through it all. How clever about the provolone--it does have a strong flavor.

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  9. This is a fabulous post, Peg. Thanks for the tips and a great new idea.

    Hugs.

    MJ

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