The Thirty-Year Toque
A one-inch seared sea scallop on celeriac purée with brown-butter Mid-Atlantic crab
A tribute to chefs Peter Schaffrath & Nicolas Legret, keepers of The Lafayette
Why this bite? Chefs Peter Schaffrath (30+ years) and Nicolas Legret defined The Lafayette — French technique, Mid-Atlantic ingredients. This is their craft on a spoon.
The Story
A hotel is only as good as the cooks who stay. Peter Schaffrath spent more than thirty years at the Hay-Adams, building The Lafayette's reputation for European technique and unwavering standards; Nicolas Legret, who came up under him, carries that discipline forward with Mid-Atlantic ingredients and French precision. This scallop with Chesapeake crab and celeriac is their handshake on a spoon — classical bones, local soul, no shortcuts.
Ingredients
- Sea scallops
- Celeriac
- Jumbo lump crab
- Brown butter
- Cream
- Chervil
- Lemon
Preparation
- 1.Purée celeriac with cream until silky.
- 2.Sear scallops to a golden crust, slice into one-inch coins.
- 3.Warm crab in brown butter with lemon.
- 4.Spoon purée, set scallop, crown with crab and chervil.
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