Hollywood dreams do come true! I recently lived my own "Purple Rose of Cairo" moment with the luminous Jenni Pulos, making this recipe for Saganaki. Though the leaping flames paled in comparison to Jenni's bright beauty, the heat reminded us of the warmth of her heart, the brilliance of her talent.
Note: For you kiddies too young to get the reference to this 1985 Woody Allen film, the gist is a dashing matinee idol played by Jeff Daniels steps right out of the screen and into the life of a mere mortal played Mia Farrow.
Jenni Pulos, the chic and glamorous beauty providing the lone voice of sanity in the oftentimes cruel lunacy of Flipping Out, joined us at the House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year.
We commandeered the kitchen spotlight to whip up some Saganaki –kasseri cheese quickly sautéed then lit ablaze, a veritable table-side Hindenberg.
Stars — they're just like us! Jenni loves food, family and fun. So this recipe from her mom was just the ticket for our culinary highjinks.
See for yourself when we make Saganaki in this video.
The audio gets a little muddled when we point out Greek "kasseri" and Yiddish "chazzerei" are homophones. If you just giggled, look it up, it doesn't mean that.
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Just three simple ingredients of the highest quality are all that's needed: authentic kasseri cheese, Metaxa, a Greek brandy aged in oak for 5 or more years, fresh lemon juice. Plus a little flour for dredging and olive oil to slick the skillet.
Get your cast iron skillet nice and hot. Dip slices of kasseri (2" x 3" x 1/2" thick) in water and dredge in flour. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and sauté the cheese for a minute or two, turning to ensure a light brown crust on both sides.
A quarter cup of Metaxa brandy is the source of the mini super-nova. I've found heating the spirits for 5-10 seconds in the microwave makes all the difference — a restrained flambé is fine for French foods. The heartier, earthy strength of Saganaki calls for COMBUSTION!
Pour the heated brandy into the skillet and spark the flames to life, making sure everyone is watching of course. Those candle lighters are helpful here. Extinguish the flames with a squeeze of lemon. And for God's sake use caution, caution, caution. Stand back and make sure there's plenty of room all around, the flames burst in every direction.
I've got to give a shout out to an all-time favorite, the always incredibly delicious Uncle Nick's on the Avenue . Nothing dampens the fun, even the time when my bestie Tom was entertaining his visiting parents and the Saganaki ignited the Christmas decorations. The unflappable staff had things under control in the blink of an eye. Perhaps 'twas not the first time…
If you remember The Purple Rose of Cairo, you also probably boogied to the Ohio Player's disco classic Fire. Blast that baby with your Saganaki for full sensory overload — sight, sound, smell, flavor and heat.
OPA!