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Chef’s Kitchen
Each month we bring a guest chef into our Chef’s Kitchen column to give us a
tip that elevates their cooking (and hopefully ours). They also provide a recipe
that showcases their tip. Our guest chefs this month are David and Mary Jane
Landau, owners of Landau's Catering and Events in Redmond, Washington. Opened in
1987, Landau's is a full-service, off-site catering company. Their newest
location in Redmond is an easily-accessible, 3,000 square foot facility that
also offers a private room called The Library. In addition to renting out this
up-to-50-person space, the Landaus create food- and wine-related events.
 Mary Jane is a Seattle native who has
lived up and down the West Coast as well as Vietnam and Hong
Kong. Growing up, she was surrounded by some of the finest
examples of cuisine the world has to offer due to parents who
loved to entertain; their formal dining room seated 24. She
graduated with a BSBA in Hospitality and Restaurant Management
from the University of Denver and was named Head of Catering for
the University. David was born in Hong Kong to a family of
multi-generational restaurateurs. He apprenticed in some of
Europe's finest hotels, concluding with the Dorchester in
London. When he returned to Hong Kong, he took over the reins
from his father to run the world famous Jimmy's Kitchen and
opened several other establishments including the original
Landau's Restaurant. In 1985, he and Mary Jane moved their
family to the Northwest and opened a Landau's Restaurant in
Bellevue. It garnered local and national attention and awards.
In the mid-90s, they opened the At Home Cooking School that
taught everything needed to entertain at home. Landau's Catering
and Events is a natural evolution from their restaurant, cooking
school, Mary Jane's catering knowledge and resources from 30
years in the business and David's gregarious nature and
unmatched kitchen skills. They were recently awarded second
place in the Top 5 caterers category of Best of Western
Washington 2009 on KING 5.
Dry vs. Wet Scallops
By David and Mary Jane Landau
There are two different methods in which scallops are sold
on the market: wet and dry.
Wet scallops are commonly treated with phosphates which are
a preservative. When scallops are soaked in phosphates, they absorb water,
making them weigh more and, therefore, cost more. The absorbed water evaporates
during cooking and, in turn, shrinks your scallops leaving them smaller, dry and
somewhat tasteless. Furthermore, the added water does not let scallops brown
properly during cooking. It is generally easy to discern treated scallops as
they will usually appear snow-white in color.
Dry scallops are all wild and natural. They are not treated
with any chemicals whatsoever. They are harvested directly from the ocean,
shucked on deck, then immediately frozen on the boat to capture their quality.
Dry scallops caramelize naturally during cooking to a golden brown color that is
very attractive when serving. And, as you might have guessed, there is no
cost-added water weight with dry scallops. Dry scallops generally have a natural
vanilla color.
Landau's Catering and Events
17825 NE 65th Street, Suite A-120
Redmond, WA 98052
425-882-1300
www.landauscatering.com
Click here to see Landau's scallop recipe
November 2009
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