Halloumi recipe

A Cypriot cheese whose pressed curds are scalded in their own whey and folded around mint, which is why it browns on the grill instead of melting.

1 day and 3 hourshard5 ingredients

Ingredients

• 4000 ml sheep and goat milk
• 1 tsp rennet
• 2 tbsp dried mint
• 60 g coarse salt
• 1000 ml water

How to make Halloumi

1. Heat 4 litres of sheep and goat milk to 32 °C, stir in 1 tsp of rennet diluted in cold water, cover and leave 40 minutes until it sets.
2. Cut the curd into 1 cm cubes, raise it slowly to 38 °C and stir gently for 20 minutes so the grains firm up.
3. Ladle the curd into moulds, press for 30 minutes and keep every drop of the whey that runs out.
4. Bring that whey to 90-95 °C and poach the blocks in it for 30 to 45 minutes; they are ready when they float. This scalding is what stops halloumi melting later.
5. Lift the hot blocks out, salt them all over with coarse salt, press 2 tbsp of dried mint onto one face and fold each block in half over the mint.
6. Dissolve 60 g of salt in 1 litre of cooled whey or water and rest the folded cheese in this brine, chilled, for 1 to 3 days before eating.
7. Mature halloumi needs at least 40 days in brine; there is no shortcut, so eat it fresh or wait.
8. To serve, cut 1 cm slices and dry-grill them 2-3 minutes a side until brown and squeaky, then squeeze lemon over.

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