Fire-Roasted Halloumi & Jammy Blistered Grapes with Sizzling Pine Nut-Rosemary Butter over Velvet Urfa Tahini
Welcome to my kitchen, darling! If there is one hill I will happily die on, it is that cheese and fruit belong together in a passionate, fiery romance. This dish was born out of a late-night craving in my London flat, staring at a lonely block of halloumi and a bunch of black grapes that had seen better days. I tossed the grapes into a screaming hot pan with a splash of olive oil until they burst into sweet, jammy submission, and magic happened. What makes this recipe so achingly special to me is the sheer audacity of textures and temperatures. You get the squeaky, smoky char of the cheese, the melting sweetness of the grapes, and that nutty crunch of pine nuts sizzling in rosemary butter. It all rests on a velvety lake of Urfa-spiced tahini because, let us be honest, tahini makes everything better. My biggest tip? Do not rush the grapes. Let them wrinkle and release their sticky nectar. Serve this with warm flatbread to mop up every last drop, and watch it disappear in seconds. Enjoy, and remember: more herbs is always the answer!
Featured Recipe
Fire-Roasted Halloumi & Jammy Blistered Grapes with Sizzling Pine Nut-Rosemary Butter over Velvet Urfa Tahini
Thick slabs of fire-charred, salty halloumi meet sweet seedless black grapes blistered until jammy and caramelized. Everything rests on a swath of smoky Urfa-spiced velvet tahini and gets drizzled with bubbling rosemary pine nut butter.
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Timeline
Ingredients
- 14 oz Halloumi cheese(cut into 1/2-inch thick slabs and patted dry)
- 2 cups Seedless black or dark red grapes(stemmed and rinsed thoroughly)
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil(divided)
- 0.5 cup Raw sesame tahini paste(stirred well from the bottom of the jar)
- 2.5 tbsp Fresh lemon juice(freshly squeezed)
- 0.33 cup Ice-cold water(or more as needed for emulsion)
- 1 clove Garlic(finely grated on a microplane)
- 1.5 tsp Urfa biber chili flakes(smoky, raisin-like Turkish chili flakes; Aleppo pepper works if unavailable)
- 0.5 tsp Fine sea salt(to taste)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter(diced)
- 3 tbsp Pine nuts(raw)
- 1.5 tbsp Fresh rosemary(finely minced)
- 1.5 tbsp Wildflower honey(warm run honey)
- 0.25 cup Fresh mint leaves(small leaves left whole, larger leaves torn)
- 0.5 tsp Flaky sea salt(such as Maldon, for finishing)
Instructions
- 1
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 0.5 cup Raw sesame tahini paste, 2.5 tbsp Fresh lemon juice, 1 clove Garlic, 0.5 tsp Fine sea salt, and 1 tsp Urfa biber chili flakes. The paste will seize up and turn paste-like—do not panic! Slowly drizzle in 0.33 cup Ice-cold water while whisking vigorously until the sauce transforms into a pale, impossibly silky, pourable velvet cream. Taste and adjust lemon or salt to balance.
5 min
Tip: Ice-cold water is the non-negotiable secret to emulsifying tahini into that cloud-like, luscious consistency.
- 2
Pat 14 oz Halloumi cheese completely dry with paper towels on both sides. Drizzle the halloumi with 1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil. In a separate small bowl, toss 2 cups Seedless black or dark red grapes with 1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt.
3 min
Tip: Drying the cheese thoroughly ensures an immediate, blistering golden-brown crust rather than steaming in the pan.
- 3
Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet over high open flame or charcoal until lightly smoking. Tumble the oiled 2 cups Seedless black or dark red grapes into one half of the pan. Let them blister without moving for 2 minutes, then roll them around gently for another 4 to 5 minutes until their skins char in patches and they soften into juicy, collapsing gems.
7 min
Tip: High heat blister cooking concentrates the grape sugars into an unctuous, naturally sweet counterpoint to salty cheese.
- 4
Push the grapes slightly to the side (or scoop them into a warm bowl if space is tight) and lay 14 oz Halloumi cheese flat onto the scorching cast iron. Sear for 2 to 3 minutes without touching until a deep mahogany, blistered crust develops. Flip carefully with a thin spatula and sear the reverse side for 1 to 2 minutes until pliable and warmed through.
4 min
Tip: Halloumi is best served hot and supple right off the fire before its proteins contract back into squeakiness.
- 5
While the cheese finishes, place a small skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tbsp Unsalted butter and the remaining 1 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil. Once foaming, toss in 3 tbsp Pine nuts and 1.5 tbsp Fresh rosemary. Swirl constantly for 90 seconds until the pine nuts are pale gold and the rosemary crackles. Kill the heat, then immediately stir in 1.5 tbsp Wildflower honey and the remaining 0.5 tsp Urfa biber chili flakes so it sizzles into a warm spiced gloss.
3 min
Tip: Watch the pine nuts like a hawk—they go from toasted and fragrant to scorched in a matter of seconds.
- 6
Swoosh the prepared velvet tahini across a warm, wide serving platter using the back of a spoon. Shingle the hot, charred 14 oz Halloumi cheese down the center, nestled generously with the blistered, jammy 2 cups Seedless black or dark red grapes. Spoon the bubbling pine nut-rosemary butter over everything, then scatter with 0.25 cup Fresh mint leaves and a sprinkle of 0.5 tsp Flaky sea salt.
2 min
Tip: Bring this instantly to the table alongside warm pita or crusty sesame sourdough while the butter still sizzles.
Chef's Notes
In Tel Aviv wine bars, halloumi is treated with the respect it deserves—not merely squeaky salad cubes, but thick slabs kissed with real fire. Pair that salt punch with fruit blistered until its skins burst and you have pure mezze alchemy. If you don't have an outdoor fire or open flame, get your heaviest dry cast-iron skillet screaming hot indoors under your range hood.
Yael Mizrahi
Bold flavors, beautiful plates
Born in Tel Aviv to a Moroccan mother and Iraqi father, I grew up speaking the language of spice. My kitchen was always full of cumin, preserved lemons, and the sound of multiple conversations happening at once. I moved to London at 22, cooked my way through the city's best restaurants, and discovered that the whole Mediterranean was my playground. Now I create dishes that celebrate the entire region—from Marrakech to Athens, with plenty of stops in between.