Omelette Princess

History

"Omelette à la Princesse" was codified by Auguste Escoffier in Le Guide Culinaire (Paris, 1903), where it appears in the eggs chapter as one of a long series of classically garnished omelettes. Escoffier's formula is a filled omelette: a spoonful of asparagus tips bound in cream sauce (sauce Crème, a béchamel enriched with cream), a chain of truffle slices arranged along the top, and a cordon of cream sauce encircling it. The name follows the classical French garnish convention "à la princesse," which denotes a garnish of asparagus tips and truffles — precisely the elements of this dish. Beyond this, the historical record does not document who first made this particular omelette or who ate it, and there is no evidence that it signalled wealth or social status.

Ingredients

• 1 omelette
• 1 tablespoon asparagus tips
• as needed cream sauce (sauce Crème)
• as needed truffle slices

Instructions

1. Fill the omelette with a tablespoon of asparagus tips bound in cream sauce (sauce Crème — a béchamel enriched with cream). Arrange on the omelette a chain of thin truffle slices. Encircle the omelette with a thin ribbon of cream sauce.