Fruit and cheese make a perfect pair, especially with the weather heating up and long, lazy summer days setting in – days spent soaking up the sunshine and balmy evenings spent outdoors, in good company, not labouring away for hours over a hot stove.
There are the classic sweet/savoury pairings – salty feta + watermelon, soft goat’s curd + figs, robust cheddar + apple, sharp parmesan + pear – along with less typical pairings. Strawberries and haloumi an example of the latter, a little less likely but every bit as delicious.
Grilled haloumi, strawberry and rosemary skewers
8 med-long stalks of rosemary*
180g block of haloumi cheese (goat/sheep’s milk)
250g (1 punnet) strawberries, halved lengthways
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
Lemon wedges, to serve
Remove the leaves from the rosemary stalks, leaving a 3cm length of leaves on one end of each stalk. Finely chop remaining rosemary leaves and set aside.
Cut haloumi into 2cm cubes, and pierce pieces carefully with a bamboo skewer all the way through. Repeat for the strawberry halves, piercing each through the centre horizontally with the skewer. To assemble, thread cubes of haloumi onto the prepared rosemary stalks*, alternating with a strawberry half. Set aside.
Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and 1 tbs remaining chopped rosemary leaves together and brush skewers lightly with the mixture to coat.
Heat a large griddle pan or barbecue grill and grease the surface with butter or coconut oil. Grill skewers for 2-4min, turning once, or until haloumi is lightly golden.
Remove from heat, plate up and finish with a squeeze of lemon, a cheeky glass of vino and a sultry summer’s afternoon, to serve.
180g block of haloumi cheese (goat/sheep’s milk)
250g (1 punnet) strawberries, halved lengthways
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
Lemon wedges, to serve
Remove the leaves from the rosemary stalks, leaving a 3cm length of leaves on one end of each stalk. Finely chop remaining rosemary leaves and set aside.
Cut haloumi into 2cm cubes, and pierce pieces carefully with a bamboo skewer all the way through. Repeat for the strawberry halves, piercing each through the centre horizontally with the skewer. To assemble, thread cubes of haloumi onto the prepared rosemary stalks*, alternating with a strawberry half. Set aside.
Whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and 1 tbs remaining chopped rosemary leaves together and brush skewers lightly with the mixture to coat.
Heat a large griddle pan or barbecue grill and grease the surface with butter or coconut oil. Grill skewers for 2-4min, turning once, or until haloumi is lightly golden.
Remove from heat, plate up and finish with a squeeze of lemon, a cheeky glass of vino and a sultry summer’s afternoon, to serve.
*Use regular wooden skewers for less fiddly option.
