this is a play on the classic italian caprese salad and is perfect as a first course, salad or snack. instead of the traditional buffala mozzarella, tomato and basil combo, i gave this version a little bit of a mediteranean/middle eastern twist by using grilled haloumi cheese, tomatoes, mint instead of basil and topped it off with a very simple balsamic glaze. i'm really psyched about this dish and its a pretty cool way to have grilled haloumi. if you're not familiar with haloumi, it is a firm greek cheese that is very popular all over the middle east made with either sheeps milk, cows milk or a combination of the two. haloumi does'nt melt, so you can fry it, pan sear it or in this case, grill it. the grill gives the haloumi a really nice smokiness that contrasts the freshness of the cold tomatoes and mint; the balsamic provides a welcome sweetness that you will be mopping off the plate. theres a lot of stuff happening in this very simple dish - hot, cold, sweet, salty, savory, smoky & fresh all in one bite. its pretty impressive considering its simplicity. awesome.
