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If you're planning a get-together to watch the BCS bowl game, don't take sides in the kitchen.

The Buckeyes and Tigers may be battling for college football supremacy, but when Louisiana specialities are served alongside Midwestern beef, all is right in the culinary world.

We gathered some tried-and-true recipes from area cooking schools and from one chef who's spent time in both states. And while we're rooting for a Buckeye victory on the field, the two sides seem fairly well-matched in cuisine.

Contact this writer at carol.rini@gmail.com.

New York Strip Roast

with Garlic-Herb Crust

Simple and elegant, this is beef at its finest. Sliced thin and served with rolls, the garlic-herb crust provides so much flavor you won't need condiments. Serve warm or at room temperature. Deb Lackey of the Dorothy Lane Market School of Cooking provided this recipe, which came from the December 2000 issue of Bon Appetit.

Makes 10 servings

4 garlic cloves

8 fresh sage leaves

4 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

4 teaspoons Vera Jane's Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5-pound boneless Coleman New York Strip Roast, fat trimmed to 1/8 to 1/4 inch

With the machine running, drop the garlic into a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Add sage, thyme, oil, salt and pepper, and process until a wet paste forms.

Pat meat dry with paper towels. Rub meat all over with the herb paste. Wrap the roast tightly with plastic wrap and then refrigerate overnight, or at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the roast, fat side up, on rack in a roasting pan. Roast meat 15 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, about 35 minutes (or 140 degrees for medium, about 40 minutes).

Remove from oven; let stand 20 minutes. Cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices on platter and garnish with sprigs of fresh herbs.

During the testing process we discovered we like this roast best when prepared with a double batch of the garlic-herb crust (do not double the salt). Be sure to make ahead and marinate 24 hours or overnight for best flavor.

Boiled Shrimp With Dipping Sauces

Shrimp and Louisiana go together like Buckeyes and bowl games. The tiny crustacean packs a powerful flavor when served with a variety of sauces. Cook's Wares School of Cooking in Springboro provided these recipes, from Diane Phillips, a cookbook author who specializes in make-ahead recipes.

Makes 10 to 12 servings

4 cups water

2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 lemon, quartered

2 pounds large or extra-large shrimp (20-25 per pound), peeled and deveined.

Combine the water and Old Bay in a four-quart saucepan. Squeeze the lemon into the water and add the rind. Bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, cover and remove from the heat. Let the shrimp remain in the water for 15 minutes.

Drain the shrimp, allow them to cool slightly, and peel.

At this point, you can cool completely, transfer for a zipper-top plastic bag, and refrigerate for up to two days.

Asian Peanut Sauce

Makes 3 cups

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, mashed

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

6 shakes of Tabasco sauce or to taste

1 (or 2) jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat the oil and add the ginger, garlic and jalapeno, sautéing for one minute until fragrant. Remove from the heat to prevent spattering and gradually pour in the broth, coconut milk and peanut butter. Return to the stovetop, over medium heat, and whisk until smooth.

Add the brown sugar, soy sauce and Tabasco and bring to a boil. Simmer for five minutes. Remove from the stove and cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours and up to four days.

Bloody Margarita Cocktail Sauce

Makes 3 cups

1 cup spicy tomato juice or Bloody Mary mix

1/4 cup tequila

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped green onion, using only the white part

1/2 cup chunky salsa (your favorite brand and heat strength)

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients until blended. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper as needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours and up to four days.

Cajun Seafood Gumbo

Jack Zindorf, who has been teaching for DLM's School of Cooking for many years and also works as a kitchen assistant for the cooking school, specializes in Asian, Cajun and Creole cuisine. His gumbo recipe will spice up any bowl party.

Makes 16 half-cup servings

Seasoning mix:

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 cup olive oil

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

11/2 cups chopped bell pepper

1 cup chopped, peeled tomatoes

1 tablespoon minced garlic

6 cups seafood stock

2 dozen small to medium oysters with liquid

1 pound medium raw shrimp (peeled and deveined with shells reserved)

8 to 10 ounces crabmeat

3 cups cooked rice

Garnish (optional): chopped green onion or parsley

Combine seasoning mix and set aside. Heat oil in a heavy pan until it begins to smoke. Add flour slowly while constantly whisking with long wire whisk. Cook until roux is dark reddish-brown. Lower heat and add half of the chopped onion, celery and bell pepper. Continue stirring and cook about 1 minute. Add remaining onion, celery and bell pepper and cook about 1 minute. Add seasoning and cook about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic, cook about 1 minute and remove from heat.

In a 6-quart pan, bring fish stock to a boil. Add one spoonful at a time of the cooked roux mixture stirring constantly until dissolved. Bring back to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce to simmer and cook 10-15 minutes. Add the oysters with liquid, shrimp and crabmeat. Return to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat. Serve hot.

Garnish with chopped green onion or parsley.

As a main course, mound 1/3 cup cooked rice in a soup plate or deep dish. Pour 1 cup of the gumbo over the top (serves 8). As an appetizer, serve half the amount (serves 16).

Pressed Italian Sandwich

Renowned chef Anne Kearney didn't say who she'll be rooting for Monday. The West Carrollton native spent 13 years cooking in New Orleans, eventually opening the acclaimed Peristyle restaurant. She and her husband, Tom Sand, returned to Ohio and opened Rue Dumaine restaurant in Washington Twp. last fall.

"I certainly enjoy a good tailgate party whenever one happens to present itself," Kearney said. "I love the convenience of a sandwich for ease of eating and do-ahead tactics."

Makes 8 servings

1 large loaf ciabatta bread

1/4 cup pesto

1/2 cup tomato sauce, your favorite

1 cup olive salad (Boscoli brand is my favorite)

1/2 pound thinly sliced salami

1/2 pound thinly sliced sopressata

1/2 pound thinly sliced proscuttio di parma

1/4 pound sharp provolone

Cut the bread in half horizontally and place the halves, side by side.

Thickly coat one cut side with the tomato sauce and the other with the pesto. Spread the olive salad across the entire surface of the bottom half of the ciabatta.

Lay the meats out onto the olive salad. Top with the sliced cheese. Turn the top of the ciabatta over onto the cheese and meats, pressing down firmly.

Wrap the sandwich firmly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator on a cookie sheet tray and weight it down with a heavy cookbook or saute pan. Allow it to rest overnight or at least 10 hours.

This can be done three days in advance. Unwrap and slice into 11/2 to 2 inch slices.