I've always wanted to start a story with that teaser. This time, the idea succeeded: I am now frying cheese - intentionally.
The reason I started was practical. I wanted to reproduce the fried cheese I ate at a long-gone Greek restaurant in Atlanta, in order to include the dish in a class on Mediterranean appetizers.
It wasn't merely fried cheese I had experienced years ago. It was a spectacle. Cooked at tableside, the golden-crusted slab in its little frying pan was doused with brandy. Then, a decidedly non-Greek waiter, holding it aloft, set it aflame and gushed, "Opa!"
Despite the ersatz trappings, the cheese was wonderful. It lurked in my memory.
That fried cheese, I learned much later, is called Saganaki (sa-ga-NA-kee). Despite sounding Japanese, the authentically Hellenic name derives from the shallow two-handled pan in which Greeks fry such dishes.
Fried cheese is not usually flamed in Greece. That bonus act of Greek drama is more a feature of Greek-American restaurants.
Cheeses suitable for frying differ from melting cheeses. They become soft but hold their shape.
The classical Saganaki cheeses are Kefalograviera, Kefalotyri and Kasseri from Greece and Haloumi from Cyprus. Made from sheep's milk or sheep's milk mixed with goat milk, they are expensive but delicious. That's the sort of cheese I employed in my cooking class.
Subsequently, having started to fry slabs of cheese, I learned that it's not just Greeks who do it. Some Latin American cooks also pan-fry cheese.
So I tried using Mexican-style cheeses - with success. The fresh cheeses (Quesos Fresco, Blanco, Panela and "de Frier") work well - but not the "melting" types (Quesos Quesadilla, Asadero and Oaxaca). Being made from semi-skimmed cow's milk and usually from Wisconsin, they're inexpensive, if not quite as tasty as the imported Mediterranean cheeses.
The keys to success with fried cheese are to get the lightly oiled pan medium hot (not smoking) before frying and to use a thin spatula to slide under the frying cheese to separate its crust from the pan. And before placing the cheese on the pan, dust the cheese lightly on both sides with flour (or cornstarch, if avoiding gluten).
The recipe serves 6 as a substantial snack or hors d'oeuvre.
If serving the cheese as snack, accompanied by crusty bread, a medium-bodied red wine with a little acidity, such as an Italian Sangiovese, a Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais, pairs well with it.
Cut the cheese into 2-inch rectangular or triangle-shaped slices about 3⁄8 of an inch thick.
Place flour or cornstarch on a small plate. Lightly dip both sides of cheese pieces into it and tap off the excess.
Heat a non-stick or heavy-bottomed frying pan (cast-iron works well) or griddle to medium heat. Add a little smear of oil. Sear a few cheese pieces at a time, not allowing them to touch. Turn them over when golden brown. They cook quickly.
Remove cheese pieces to a plate. Squeeze on a little lime or lemon juice. If desired, grind a little black pepper on as well.
Eat the cheese hot. Accompany with crusty bread.