Buckhead Diner’s crab cakes are long-standing favorite

3073 Piedmont Road, Atlanta. 404-262-3336, http:// buckheadrestaurants.com/ buckhead-diner/

Would love to get the recipe for Buckhead Diner’s Crab Cakes and the wonderful sauce that accompanies it. Regards. — Bob Hayden, Sandy Springs

These crab cakes have been on the menu at the Buckhead Diner for at least the past 10 years, and they’re a collaborative creation of many. Chef Charlie Schwab suggests you use a Chardonnay when you’re preparing the mustard sauce. He also suggests that if you’d like a gluten-free version, you reduce the amount of the lemon juice/spice mixture and eliminate the bread crumbs or panko.

You may not use all the base when mixing up the cakes. Leftover base would make a great dressing for a potato salad.

These crab cakes are served for both lunch and dinner. At lunch, a serving has one crab cake. At dinner, two.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make base: In a medium bowl, stir together lemon juice, dry mustard, white pepper, salt, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne. Stir in mayonnaise and scallions. Set aside.

Carefully pick through crab meat, discarding any bits of shell and cartilage. Put crab in a large bowl. Add bread crumbs and egg and toss gently to combine and not break up crab. Gently fold in enough base to make a mixture that will just hold together. Mold into four cakes.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly film skillet with oil and brown cakes on both sides. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Serves: 2

In a small heavy saucepan, combine wine, thyme, lemon, shallot and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and cook until wine is almost completely reduced. Add cream and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until cream is reduced by half. Remove from heat and add butter, whisking until butter is melted. Strain mixture into a small bowl. Add mustard and taste for seasoning. Makes: 1 cup Per 1-tablespoon serving: 122 calories (percent of calories from fat, 96), trace protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace fiber, 13 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 39 milligrams cholesterol, 18 milligrams sodium.

Buckhead Diner crab cakes. 880 calories (percent of calories from fat, 67), 40 grams protein, 33 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 67 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 258 milligrams cholesterol, 2,288 milligrams sodium.