Saganaki — Pan-Fried Cheese with Honey & Lemon

Ingredients

• 8 oz kefalograviera, graviera, or halloumi, in ½-inch slabs
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 lemon, half juiced and half in wedges
• 1 tsp black sesame seeds
• Black pepper
• Crusty bread and a green salad, for serving

Method

1. Run the cheese slabs briefly under cold water, then dredge in the flour, pressing so it sticks and shaking off the excess. The damp surface is what makes the crust hold.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small heavy skillet over medium-high until it shimmers and a pinch of flour sizzles instantly. A cool pan lets the cheese spread and weep before it browns.
3. Fry the cheese undisturbed 2 minutes until a deep golden crust forms, then flip with a thin spatula and give it 1–2 minutes more. It should be crisp outside and just starting to slump inside.
4. Slide onto a plate, squeeze the lemon over immediately — it hisses — then drizzle with honey, scatter the sesame seeds, and grind pepper over.
5. Serve at once with bread and lemon wedges. Saganaki waits for no one; five minutes on the counter and it goes rubbery.