My love affair with halloumi cheese

Mmm...look at those gorgeous grill marks!

If you’ve never tasted halloumi cheese, you don’t know what you are missing. My life became just a little bit richer the day I tasted this cheese. Eaten warm, it is pure heaven when grilled to a golden brown and crispy in some parts, ooey and soft in others. The flavour of this unripened brine cheese combines with the heat to create a symphony of perfection on the palate, like tasting only the best parts of a grilled cheese sandwich: buttery, cheesy, crispy, warm. This cheese is soft and mild yet has a salty character, and is dense enough with a high melting point so halloumi is perfect on the grill. I sometimes cube it and put it on a skewer with fast-cooking meat (leaving it on too long will melt it too much so you want the rest of the skewered food to cook at the same rate) or just sliced about 1/2 inch thick, and placed on a heated, oiled grill. The texture reminds me of firm tofu, while the salty mild  flavour is reminiscent of feta. I’ve seen it served on top of a salad for a lovely summer meal, but personally I haven’t gotten farther than serving it on a the plate that I bring it in on from the bbq; it’s just too good and goes fast. My family goes crazy for it; I am barely able to be seated at the table by the time it’s almost all gone, let alone explain that it’s supposed to go on top of the other food (they do leave a piece for me because they know better than to deny the chef).

If you haven’t tried this savoury treat, you are in luck because halloumi cheese is increasingly easy to find in your average supermarket. The first kind I tried was President’s Choice brand which has been delish. I just recently bought a different brand that’s waiting to be devoured. Will report back on that one soon. Yum.

Want some food for thought? Enter 'halloumi cheese' into Google and take a look at the images search results. Be prepared to drool a little.