serves
15
prep
20 minutes
cook
40 minutes
difficulty
Ace
serves
15
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
40
minutes
difficulty
Ace
level
Ingredients
River mint soil
- 20 g river mint (see Note)
- 30 g caster sugar
- 60 g almond meal
Haloumi
- 10 litres non-homogenised milk
- 2½ ml rennet (see Note)
- 25 ml cooled boiled water
- olive oil, for pan-frying
Brine
- 160 g fine table or kosher salt, plus extra, for sprinkling
- 2 litres cooled boiled water
Drying time overnight
Standing time 3½ hours
You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead.
Instructions
To make the river mint soil, pre-heat the oven to 90ºC.
In a food processor, blitz together the mint and sugar until the mint is chopped and the sugar turns green. Scrape down the sides with a spatula as needed. Add the almond meal and blitz until well combined. The result should be a green, soil-like consistency. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray, crumbling the mix into smaller pieces, place in the pre-heated oven and switch the oven off. Leave overnight and it should be dry in the morning. Alternatively, dry the soil overnight in a dehydrator at 50ºC for maximum colour retention. Store in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Meanwhile, to make the haloumi, fill a large saucepan or stockpot one quarter full of water, then place another smaller saucepan inside the larger saucepan to make a double boiler. If you don’t have saucepans large enough to do this, simply halve the recipe to make a smaller amount. Pour the milk into the top of the double boiler and heat to 32-34ºC, then turn off the heat. Combine the rennet and cooled boiled water, then stirring continuously, immediately pour the diluted rennet into the milk, taking care to pour it over as much of the surface as possible. Stir to combine well for no less than 1 minute and no more than 3 minutes. Cover with a clean tea towel and stand for 40 minutes or until firm set. Using a large sharp knife, cut the curd into 2-3 cm cubes, then let stand for 5 minutes. Stirring gently, heat the curd and whey to 40ºC very slowly. Remove from the heat and allow the curd to settle to the bottom and form into one solid mass.
Using a ladle, carefully remove all the whey and place into a saucepan. Place a plate or lid with the same diameter of the pan on top of the curd and tilt the pan to remove any remaining whey and add to the pan with the rest of the whey. Press down on the curds to help them ‘knit’ together. Using a metal skewer or small knife, make small holes in the bottom of a square or rectangular 5 litre capacity plastic container (we use a plastic gelato tub), then line with a large piece of muslin or cheese cloth. Place the container into another larger container to catch the whey. Press the curd in the cloth by hand by tightening the cloth around the curds. Place weights such as food cans on top of the curd and stand for about 1 hour or until it is firm enough for your liking. Heat the whey over high heat until it reaches 90ºC and collect with a ladle any curd that rises to the surface and discard it. Bring the whey to boiling point then removed from the heat.
Remove the curd from the cloth and cut into blocks about 10 cm wide x 15 cm long, then place into the hot whey. The blocks of curd will sink to the bottom. Stand for 45-90 minutes or until all the curd has risen to the surface. Stand for another 15 minutes, then remove and place on a wooden or stainless steel rack and stand for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese blocks all over and lightly with salt, then stand until cool.
To make the brine, stir the salt into the water until dissolved. Store the cheese in the brine solution in the refrigerator. It can be eaten immediately or stored for months in this way. Makes about 1 kg haloumi.
To serve the haloumi, cut as much cheese as you need into 1½ cm-thick slices. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat and when hot, cook the cheese on both sides for 30 seconds or until golden. Serve with a beetroot salad and a sprinkling of river mint soil.
Notes
• River mint is a native wild herb found on riverbanks and in damp forest areas across South Eastern Australia. It has a flavour reminiscent of spearmint which you could use instead. Add 10 g more sugar for a sweeter soil or a pinch of salt and pepper for a more savoury soil. The soil will make more than you need, but it keeps really well in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
• If you wish to reduce the quantity of haloumi, the basic rule of thumb per 10 litres of milk is 2½ ml of rennet diluted with 10 times that amount of boiled water, i.e. 25 ml cool boiled water to each 2 ½ ml of rennet. For a variation, place some mint leaves on the top of the chees blocks before the salting stage, then fold them in half with the mint in the middle.
• Rennet is an extract from the stomach of cows or sheep and is used to curdle milk for cheese making. You can also buy vegetarian rennet. Both are readily available to buy online.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
