The barbecue season is in full swing, and with it we are looking for new ideas for original dishes from the grill. Dominika Reich, flavor ambassador, an expert on the search for new flavor combinations and different kinds of cheese for years, reveals how to creatively use this product on the grill to delight your guests.
What are your favorite recipes for grilled cheese dishes? Maybe some composition that always delights?
– A great snack that everyone loves are grilled croutons with different kinds of cheese. All you have to do is slice a baguette or challah thicker, put it on a hot grill and sprinkle it with your favorite cheese or several kinds. Classic gouda, emmentaler or cheddar will work well, but also molded, smoked or white molded cheeses like brie or camembert. It is also great fun when guests compose their own croutons and mix cheese flavors. We can serve such croutons as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to salads or grilled meats and vegetables.
What if you wanted to surprise your guests….
– I recommend trying grilled fish with blue mold cheeses. A small piece of French Bleu d’Auvergne inserted into the trout will change its flavor and give it a creamy finesse. Blue cheese will also work well with salmon and chicken and turkey breasts. Another hit of summer grilling can be a veggie burger with smoked scamorza. If you can get them, black buns with smoked cheese will give a spectacular WOW effect on the grill! These non-obvious combinations can really surprise guests and make summer barbecues take on a whole new dimension.
Which cheeses are best suited for grilling, and which should we avoid? What qualities should the ideal cheese for grilling have?
– In theory, we can put any cheese on the grill, but depending on its properties and texture, it will behave differently. Most of the cheeses we are familiar with under the influence of high heat will simply melt. This gives us the opportunity to prepare vegetables baked with cheese, chicken breasts with a cheesy crust, cheeseburgers or the Swiss delicacy raclette. If we want the cheese to retain its texture, heat up and brown in a piece, then it is worth reaching for special types. Cypriot halloumi cheese, smoked cheeses such as Italian scamorza or domestic oscypek, as well as tofu will work perfectly. My tip is to marinate the tofu beforehand, giving it an unusual flavor. During the grilling season, we can prepare marinades of fresh spices and all variations of pesto. I have another suggestion for vegetarians – hamburger with camembert. A small camembert grilled whole will also be a great addition to salads and white meats.
Halloumi is gaining popularity in Poland. Where does this cheese come from and how best to use it on the grill?
– Genuine halloumi is a rennet cheese made in Cyprus from a mixture of cow’s, goat’s and sheep’s milk. Such authentic products are now readily available in Polish stores. Its firm, moist texture and unique flavor have earned it worldwide recognition. What makes halloumi a barbecue star? First of all, the fact that it does not melt when exposed to high heat – instead, it blushes beautifully, impresses with its golden color, crispy crust and distinctive flavor. My favorite way to use halloumi is in colorful skewers. Just layer the cheese cubes with slices of zucchini, eggplant, pieces of bell bell pepper and onion rings – such a composition gives a wonderful, light effect. For meat lovers, I recommend enriching the skewers with pieces of pre-marinated chicken or turkey breast. Halloumi also works well as a stand-alone salad topping – a real barbecue hit!
What Polish cheeses could compete with halloumi as alternatives for grilling? Do we have an indigenous tradition of cheeses that retain structure at high temperatures?
– Of the Polish alternatives, let’s reach especially for oscypek, which in its grilled version is a beloved snack. Small oscypek can also be used to compose cheese skewers. They have a distinct flavor – especially if you choose the smoked version. Here the combination with nuts, dried apricot or plum, as well as summer fruits and herbs, such as watermelon and mint, will play well. Let’s experiment!
Speaking of exporting, what sauces, dips or jams go best with grilled cheeses? Maybe some homemade recipes to prepare?
– As an accompaniment to grilled cheeses, both sweet and dry additions will work well. Cranberry preserves, as well as those broken by the freshness of citrus and quince, will be a perfect contrast to warm cheese delicacies. We can also use balsamico mixed with honey, orange juice and herbal additives such as thyme, rosemary, chili, garlic to make a dip. It’s also worth looking in your home pantry – you may find pumpkin, orange, quince or pear jam, which will turn out to be a great accompaniment for grilled cheese dishes.
What drinks go best with grilled cheese?
– For the hot grilling season, I recommend light, chilled liquors. For toasted cheeses, rounded white wines from the chardonnay varietal, for example, will be ideal, including those that have been aged in barrel. They will accentuate the smoky flavor of our cheese dishes. Properly chilled light rosé wines, which are often characterized by aromas of red fruits and herbs, will also work well. Ciders, or light sparkling wines made from apples, will also be the perfect companion to a cheese feast.
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Dominika Reich – Ambassador, enthusiast and educator of good flavors. Promoter of fondue and raclette in Poland. Sommelier with numerous certifications in wine knowledge including Wine and Spirit Edcation Trust. She talks like no one else about how to combine different flavors and what to look for on the label to buy a good quality product. She organizes workshops and wine and tasting events, where she shares her knowledge in an accessible way. For years, she has been explaining how to combine products to bring out the depth of flavor, showing how to choose quality products, talking about their production, and teaching how to make the most of their potential. A taster with more than a dozen years of experience gained from training throughout Europe, including Italy at the Marzadro distillery, France at Eleveur de fromage Antony, Germany and Switzerland.
A self-employed mother who opened her own business and has been running The House of Cheese deli in Bialystok since 2021. She is the only woman from the Podlaskie region affiliated with the Association of Polish Sommeliers. She is a member of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Bialystok and vice president of the Podlaskie Association of Women Business Owners Club. She is actively working for the development of women’s entrepreneurship in the Podlasie region.
