Grilled goats’ cheese in the Aga

Can you assist me with my recurring problem over how to get the perfect ‘grilled’ goats cheese? I have tried using a dry/hot frying pan on the top – using both of the Aga hotplates and in the hot oven on the base plate. I keep melting the cheese and ending up with a gooey mess, rind and sauce heap!

Whilst you can griddle cheese such as Halloumi slices on a piece of Bake-O-Glide on the simmering plate until melting and golden on each side, for this classic 80s bistro starter you need to grill the cheese at the very top of the roasting oven. Place them on a piece of Bake-O-Glide or lightly greased foil on an Aga cold plain shelf.

It’s essential the cheeses are as cold as possible before cooking. When I do this dish, I take them from the refrigerator and then give them 10 minutes in the freezer to get them as cold as possible without the cheese actually freezing. When you then cook them, this allows the exterior to heat through and colour and for the heat to just penetrate the cheese during the grilling. So the finished item is pleasantly warm but not over-heated, which is what has led to the disappointing leaking you have been experiencing.

Carefully transfer the grilled cheeses to some dressed salad leaves on each person’s plate and send to the table to enjoy immediately.