A crispy, hot cheese with a green herb, tahini and avocado cream.
Halve 3 small avocados – total weight about 650 g – and remove the stones, then use a teaspoon to scoop the pulp into the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the juice of a small lemon and 10g basil leaves and their stems. With blender running, pour in 3 tablespoons mild, not-too-peppery olive oil and a little salt and continue until you have a thick, smooth, bright green cream.
Cut 500 grams helloumi in thin pieces. I suggest about 0.5 cm in thickness. Divide about 8 tablespoons of dry, fine bread-crumbs on a plate. break a egg in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork to mix yolk and white.
Dip the halloumi pieces, one at a time, first in the beaten egg and then in the crumbs. Press firmly and then flip until both sides are coated with crumbs.
Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a shallow pan. When the oil is hot, drop pieces of the crumbled halloumi into the oil and cook for a few minutes until golden brown and crispy on the bottom. Turn each piece with a palette knife and repeat.
Lift from the pan onto a piece of kitchen paper.
Serve with the avocado cream and half a lemon to squeeze over. Serves 2
You could try this with mozzarella instead of halloumi. The cheese slices are a bit more delicate – turn them gently with a palette knife during cooking – then serve them right away while the cheese is still soft and melting.
You could serve this with marinated avocado if you prefer. Cut the fruit into thick slices and let it rest for an hour in a dressing of olive oil, lemon, basil and a splash of white wine vinegar.
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