Charred Halloumi and Peach Salad with Crispy Ginger

One of the challenges of being creative in the kitchen is finding inspiration.  After you've been cooking for a while, you'll realize that limiting your channels to the obvious sources can actually limit your creativity.   Restaurant menus, blogs, cookbooks and TV shows are great and all, but sometimes it's the everyday conversations that strike a chord and open new paths.

This is a learned trait, trust me.  Everyone and their mother gives me food and cooking tips.  Mainly, they know I love to chat about food, so it's a welcome topic.  But back in the days of my arrogant youth (2006?), I'd rarely internalize them.  But I realized the obvious.  There's a nugget of inspiration in most things around me, they just need to be extracted properly. 

Take for instance, a recent chat with new blog crush, ACB.  She was telling me about grilled halloumi cheese, which I recalled reading about long ago.  The old Joe would have tried to internalize it, but the halloumi would have slipped into the back ether of my brain moments later.  The new Joe pursues its possibilities straight away, as it might lead to an idea that could motivate me to keep it top of mind.

I thought about a charred, thick hunk of halloumi with a hot, firm interior contrasting with a crispy exterior.  I thought about using the halloumi in a fun! summer! salad!, maybe contrasting the saltiness and creaminess with a charred, fresh sweetness (corn and mint came to mind).  I even envisioned the presentation - a thick circular hunk of halloumi overflowing with charred veggies.

Sure enough, the extra thought about halloumi during the initial discussion made the dish stay in my mind.  I went to the market with this rough idea, but became intrigued with peaches.  I would char peaches, toss them with a chiffonade of mint, and finish them with a squeeze of lemon juice and maybe a drizzle of a mint spiked olive oil to top the cheese.

The best method for preparing the peaches and halloumi would certainly be on the grill.  Since I'm grill challenged here in NYC, I used a flat, non-stick griddle pan.  Simply get the pan very hot, add a touch of olive oil and char the peaches on one side.  I didn't bother cooking them on the other side, as I wasn't looking for limp sauteed peaches.  Remove them from the pan, then do the halloumi in the same method, but charring both sides this time.  Don't season the cheese, as its pretty salty on its own.

I kept the cheese in the oven at 250 while I prepared a few garnishes.  I needed some texture, so I thinly shaved ginger with a sharp pairing knife, as if it were garlic and I were in Goodfellas. I toasted the shaved ginger in hot olive oil for a few minutes, until the slices turned crispy.   I also blanched a handful of mint and whizzed it in the food processor with olive oil, creating a mint oil to spoon around the cheese.  Simply strain the mint from the oil for a vibrant green, mint infused oil.

The saltiness of the halloumi was a perfect foil for with the sweetness of the peaches.  The crispy ginger added an interesting texture and burst of flavor, while the mint and the charred exteriors of the cheese and peaches tied the elements together. 

Comments

[ACB]

Nice use of exclamation points!

This is spectacular...

[Laura Lee]

This is beautiful.. I wonder if you could use queso blanco as a less-salty alternative.

[joe]

good suggestion, laura. no doubt queso blanco is a nice substitution. it's firm and doesn't melt all that easily.

[Steamy Kitchen]

I think my original plan for Sunday Supper now has a new menu - I'm going to attempt to make this for dessert. Totally intrigued by crispy ginger chips.

[Tana]

This looks fantastic. I've got some halloumi and never knew what to do with it. And we've got perfect peaches and mint and ginger. Fire up the grill!

[noodle princess]

This dish looks incredible! I think it's beyond my capacity to cook but I'd like to eat it. Like, now! Love your photos..

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