Saganaki is a cheeky Greek starter where a slab of cheese is pan fried until it’s gloriously crisp and golden on the outside and gooey inside, often flambéed with a splash of ouzo or brandy for dramatic effect. Traditionally it’s made with cheeses that can withstand the heat like kasseri, kefalotyri, or halloumi (and sometimes graviera or xinomyzithra), and it hails from Greece particularly the Aegean islands and mainland tavernas where it’s served hot, drizzled with lemon, and fought over by everyone at the table.

A few tricks to get the perfect saganaki…

• Make sure the Kefalograviera cheese is cold and straight from the fridge. If it’s too warm, it won’t hold its structure while cooking.

• My honey mixture uses equal parts lemon juice, honey, and ouzo. So, if you have 25 g (1 oz) lemon juice, for example, use 25 g (1 oz) honey and ouzo.

• When flipping the cheese, the thinner the spatula the better as you don’t want to smoosh the crust that is formed while cooking.

• You can absolutely also do this alcohol free – just add equal parts water instead of ouzo.