Grilled Watermelon & Grilled Manouri

This dish can be prepared on the grill or in a very well seasoned, ridged cast-iron grill pan. Just make sure the cheese is very cold and very firm. Manouri is a unique, semisoft Greek cheese, but if you can’t find it, substitute a block of good Greek feta.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces Manouri, very cold
• 1 ½ lbs. Seedless watermelon,
  in two 1-inch-thick, center cut slices
• 20 each leaves of fresh mint
• 20 each picked sprigs dill
• Sea salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat a charcoal or gas grill until hot.
2. Cut the manouri into two 1-inch-thick circles. Trim the rind from the watermelon rounds and cut into large pie-shaped wedges, about 5 inches on the longer sides. Brush the watermelons and the manouri with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Grill the watermelon wedges and the manouri rounds just until slightly char-marked on both sides. Transfer to a platter and cut the manouri into wedges about the same size as the watermelon. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Scatter with the mint leaves, dill sprigs, and a little sea salt. Grind a little pepper over the top.

*For an extra bit of tanginess, scatter with a few drops of aged or reduced balsamic vinegar.