From the Menu of: Cherokee Town and Country Club

-- Pat DeJesus, Douglasville

A. Jason Valerio, executive sous chef of the Cherokee Town and Country Club, provided this recipe, one he created for executive chef Kevin Walker. It's a modification of the crab cake recipe Valerio served for years back home in Baltimore. You'll find this is quite a luxurious recipe, with just four saltine crackers and a 1/2 cup of seasoned mayonnaise to a pound of fresh crab. It's all about the crab.

The crab cakes appear as an entrée for both lunch and dinner at the club served with a simple starch and vegetables. Right now you’d find them served with Cherokee house potatoes, similar to scalloped potatoes, and sautéed asparagus or green beans, glazed baby carrots and a lemon beurre blanc sauce. Valerio told us that members frequently ask for these crab cakes as an accompaniment to a lunchtime salad as well, and that's the version you see pictured here.

Is there a restaurant recipe you'd like to make at home? Tell us and we'll try to get it. We'll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can't answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put "From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.

Cherokee Town and Country Club’s Crab Cakes

Hands on: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Makes: 5 cakes

The restaurant mixes all the seasonings into a flavored mayonnaise used to bind the crab and cracker crumbs. You will have mayonnaise left over. Refrigerate and use within 3 days. The mayonnaise used in the crab cakes will be cooked, but any leftover mayonnaise will contain raw egg. Raw eggs can present a health hazard for women who are pregnant, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. Pasteurized eggs, available in the grocery dairy case, can be substituted.

1 cup mayonnaise

1 egg

1 tablespoon Old Bay seafood seasoning

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/3 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 pound jumbo crab meat

1/2 pound backfin crab meat

4 saltine crackers

1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a small baking sheet.

In the bowl of a food processor, make flavored mayonnaise by combining mayonnaise, egg, seafood seasoning, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, salt, Worcestershire and lemon juice. Refrigerate.

In a medium bowl, pick through crab meat to remove all bits of shell, being careful not to break up the chunks of crab. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse crackers until they make fine crumbs. Add crumbs to crab along with 1/2 cup flavored mayonnaise. Reserve remaining mayonnaise for another use. Form the crab mixture into five cakes. Place cakes on baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. You may also broil the crab cakes or pan fry them. Serve hot.

Per cake: 453 calories (percent of calories from fat, 81), 21 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 42 grams fat (7 grams saturated), 145 milligrams cholesterol, 841 milligrams sodium.