Halloumi cheese, which originated in the Mediterranean, is traditionally made with a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk. It’s fantastic for grilling, thanks to an unusually high melting temperature. Serve it as a starter, as a side with grilled meat, or with crusty artisanal bread, olives and a glass of crisp wine for a lazy afternoon meal.
Grilled Halloumi with Figs and Blood Oranges
Mix it up
Try grilling halloumi with other fruits, such as pineapple. You can also use an outdoor grill instead of a grill pan. Skewers would help to keep the cheese from falling through the grates, an they make for a great serving presentation.
4 blood oranges
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
Sea salt and ground pepper
6 ripe red or black mission figs, halved lengthwise
1/2 lb. halloumi cheese, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
Using a knife, cut off top and bottom of 1 orange and stand it upright. Following contour of fruit, slice off remaining peel and white pith. Holding orange over a bowl, cut along both sides of each segment to separate it from membrane, allowing it and any juices to fall into bowl. Repeat with remaining oranges. Add mint and toss to combine. Season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a stove-top grill pan over medium heat. Put figs, skin side down, on grill pan and cook, turning once, until juices start to run, about 2 minutes per side. Add figs to bowl with oranges.
Drizzle cheese slices with olive oil and place on grill pan. Grill, turning once, until golden, 1-2 minutes per side. Add cheese to bowl with oranges. Toss everything together and serve at once. Serves 4-6.
3 comments
Victoria, below is a from-scratch recipe for stout braised short ribs. I spoke to our test kitchen cooks, and they recommended that you follow this method, substituting the lamb shanks for the short ribs. This is the original scratch recipe for development, but with many products, sometimes the flavor profile changes slightly or there are tweaks to the method (here, there was a spice rub for the protein, though in the developed braising base, I’m assuming most of the spices were incorporated during the sweating of the vegetables). This is an approximation, but they think this will get you very close to what you are looking for.
Good luck and all best,
The Williams-Sonoma Team
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika (not hot)
1 tablespoon curry powder (preferably Madras)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Pinch coriander
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 lbs beef short ribs, cut into 4-inch pieces
3 medium yellow onions, chopped (2 cups)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium carrots, chopped (2 cups)
3 celery ribs, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1/4 cup chopped garlic (5 to 6 large cloves)
1 3/4 cups beef broth (14 oz)
2 (12-oz) bottles stout such as Mackeson or Guinness
2 (14- to 15-oz) cans diced tomatoes
Special equipment: a wide 6-qt heavy nonreactive pot with a lid
Accompaniment: buttered egg noodles tossed with chopped fresh parsley
Preparation:
Put oven rack in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Stir together brown sugar, paprika, curry powder, coriander, cumin, pepper, salt, and mustard in a small bowl until combined.
Pat ribs dry and arrange in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan or a shallow dish, then generously coat all sides of ribs with spice mixture. Marinate, uncovered and chilled, 1 hour.
Heat oil in pot over high heat until hot but not smoking and quickly brown ribs on all 3 meaty sides (but not bone side) without crowding, in batches if necessary, about 1 minute per side. Transfer meat to a large plate, then add onions, carrots, celery, and bay leaves to pot and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Add broth, beer, and tomatoes with their juice, then add ribs with any juices and remaining spices accumulated on plate and bring liquid to a boil, uncovered. Cover pot and transfer to oven, then braise until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Skim off excess fat from surface of sauce. Discard bay leaves.
I love this as a savory dessert! Two kinds of fruit, paired with a cheese is balanced nutrition and taste-bud perfection.
The Williams-Sonoma product “Irish Braising Base” is no longer available, but it is so delicious, particularly in the recipe “Stout Braised Lamb Shanks,” that I am desperate to find the ingredients so I can reproduce the base myself. Can you share those ingredients with me; or, recommend that the company produce the product again? Thanks. Victoria Gillette