Super Bowl Party 'The Palm' Style!

Everyone knows the isn't just about football — it's also about the foooood!

Brian McCardle from cooks up a Superbowl feast fit for a king! If you're a meat-lover, you're in luck! And if meat's not your thing, you're still in the clear because these culinary classics won't leave anyone feeling hungry!

• Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion

1/3 cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon good-quality curry powder

1 ½ teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 ½ tablespoons Dijon Mustard

½ teaspoon Colman's dry mustard

1 ½ tablespoons drained, finely chopped pimento

2 slices firm, close-textured Italian white bread, crusts removed and finely chopped

1 pound lump crabmeat, gently squeezed to remove excess moisture

½ cup Mango Salsa, for serving (recipe follows)

1 teaspoon minced flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Lemon wedges, for serving

Method:

1. Place a small skillet over medium-low heat, and add the butter. Add the celery and onion, and stir. Cover and sweat gently until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, curry powder, Old Bay, Worcestershire, Dijon mustard, and dry mustard until evenly blended. Add the cooled celery mixture, chopped pimento, bread, and crabmeat. Toss the mixture very gently, breaking up some of the crabmeat but taking care to leave some lumps intact, until evenly mixed. Using your hands, form into 6 slightly flattened patties and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the baking sheet in the oven, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cakes are just heated through. Then place under a preheated broiler on high heat for about 1 minute, just until golden brown on top. With a metal spatula, carefully transfer the crab cakes to small, warmed serving plates. Place a generous tablespoon of Mango Salsa on the side. Scatter the parsley around the edge of each plate, and serve at once, with lemon wedges.

• Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 ripe mango, peeled

2 tablespoons finely diced red onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

2 slices canned pineapple, well drained and cut into ½ - inch cubes

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 generous tablespoon finely diced red bell pepper

½ tablespoon fine sea salt

¼ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Cut into the mango to locate the position of the flat pit. Cut downward vertically on either side of it to release the flesh; then cut the mango into ½-inch cubes. Trim and cube any remaining flesh from the pit, and discard the pit. In a bowl, combine the mango with all the remaining ingredients, and taste for seasoning.

2. Cover and refrigerate until serving time, up to 4 hours in advance. You may have some salsa left over; it will be fine the following day, but any longer and it will begin to get mushy.

• New York Strip (serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 (12-ounce) USDA Prime New York strip steaks, 1 ¼ to 1 ½ inches thick, patted dry with paper towels.

1 tablespoon olive oil

Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Rub the steaks with the olive oil and let stand at room temperature, uncovered, for 1 to 1 ½ hours.

2. Place a large, ovenproof sauté pan, preferably heavy cast aluminum with a stainless steel interior, over high heat. Sprinkle one side of each steak with a little salt and pepper. When the pan is very hot, in about 3 minutes, place the steaks in the pan with tongs, seasoned side down, without touching. Do not move or press down on them (this makes it important to get the placement in the pan right the first time-once they're I, your not moving them until you are ready to turn). After 2 ½ minutes, season the top sides with salt and pepper, and gently turn the steaks over. Cook without disturbing for 2 ½ minutes more. Transfer the steaks to a rack set over a plate, and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 and up to 60 minutes.

3. Thirty minutes before you plan to finish the steaks, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Return the steaks to the pan in which they were seared, and finish cooking in the oven for 8 minutes for a warm red center (medium rare), or 12 minutes for a pink center (medium). Cooking to the well-done stage is not recommended. Let rest for 8 minutes on a rack, uncovered and away from any drafts, and serve on hot plates.

• Shrimp Bruno (serves 4)

Ingredients:

½ cup all-purpose flour, for dredging

3 large eggs, well beaten

½ cup canola oil

12 jumbo shrimp, shelled, deveined, and butterflied with tails

l2 large cloves garlic, crushed with side of large, heavy knife

¾ cup dry white wine

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons very finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 lemon wedges, for serving

Method:

1. Warm 4 serving plates in a low oven. Place the flour and the beaten eggs in two separate shallow bowls near the stove. In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat.

2. Dredge the shrimp in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip each shrimp into the wash, letting the excess drip back into the bowl for a moment. Place the shrimp, butterflied side down, in the hot oil. Cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, until pale golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring. (Cook the shrimp in batches, if necessary, to avoid overcrowding).

3. Drain off all but about 1 teaspoon of the cooking oil. Add the white wine, lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. 4. Transfer the shrimp to heated plates and increase the heat to high. Whisk in the mustard and simmer sauce until it is reduced by two-thirds, about 2 minutes.

5. Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter, shaking the pan vigorously to bring the sauce together. Discard the garlic and spoon a little sauce over each serving. Sprinkle the edges of the plates with parsley, place a lemon wedge on the side, and serve at once.

• Clams Oreganato (serves 4)

Ingredients:

¾ cup dry Italian breadcrumbs

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3½ tablespoons dry white wine

24 small clams, preferably from eastern waters, shucked and still on their bottom shells

½ cup clarified butter *

¾ cup clam juice

¼ cup chicken stock or water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, garlic, olive oil, Parmigiano, oregano, parsley, and 1½ tablespoons white wine. Mix with a fork to blend thoroughly. The mixture should be quite damp, almost wet.

2. Scoop up about 1 tablespoon of the breadcrumb mixture, and use the palm of your hand to mold it firmly over the top of each clam. If desired, at this point the clams may be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat a broiler to high heat. In an ovenproof sauté pan that will fit under your broiler, arrange the clams breadcrumb-side up (cook in two batches, if necessary). Drizzle a touch of clarified butter evenly over each clam; then drizzle the clam juice, stock, and remaining 2 tablespoons of wine around the edge of the pan. Place under the broiler, about 4 inches from the heat source, until the topping is crisp and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the finished clams to serving plates. Keep warm while you finish broiling the remaining clams, if necessary, and transfer them to serving plates.

4. Over high heat, boil the pan juices very rapidly for about 1 minute, shaking the pan vigorously to bring the juices together into a thin sauce. Swirl in the unsalted butter, and keep shaking the pan until the butter is blended in. Drizzle a little sauce around the edge of each plate and serve at once.