Anne Boutiaut Poulard
Mother Poulard | |
---|---|
Mont Saint-Michel, France |
Anne "Annette" Boutiaut Poulard (15 April 1851 – 7 May 1931), one of the
Early life
Poulard was born Anne Boutiaut on April 15, 1851, in Mouësse in Nevers to Claude and Marie Boutiaut, who were market gardeners.[1]: 4 [2][3]
She was working as a maid for
Career
While operating the Tête d'Or, Poulard noticed that many customers, most of whom were travellers arriving by ferry, arrived very hungry and wanted to be served quickly.[1][10]: 10–11 Uncertainty about how many travellers would arrive and when because of the changing tides made planning ahead for service impractical.[8] She created her omelette, known as the Omelette de la mère Poulard (Omelette of Mother Poulard)[1]: 7 to solve this problem.[1]: 11
Victor Poulard's uncle, seeing the restaurant's success, evicted them to open his own restaurant in the building.[8] The Poulards opened Auberge in 1888 in a location closer to the docks.[8] The couple opened two additional hotels, Hôtel La Mère Poulard and Hôtel Les Terrasses Poulard.[5] The original Auberge restaurant is now called La Mère Poulard.[5]
Hospitality
According to a contemporary account by the local priest, she gave customers "the impression that they were crossing the threshold of the family home."[1]: 10
Omelette
There are many different descriptions of the way the omelette de la mère Poulard is prepared. It has been described as a soufflé omelette[11] made with crème fraîche and butter.[1] It is a specialty in the Mont-Saint-Michel area of Normandy and the "gastronomic emblem of the city."[12]
According to one account, the yolks and whites are beaten separately.[5] The whites are beaten until stiff and folded with the yolks.[5] Crème fraîche is dropped into a hot pan, which is placed into a hot oven until melted, then the egg mixture is added and the pan placed over a flame to cook.[5] The finished omelette is rolled onto a plate[5] and served plain or with a variety of garnishes.[10] As of 2017 the omelette was priced at €34 at the Mère Poulard restaurant.[10]
Poulard herself responded to a request for the recipe with[13][14]
I break some good eggs in a bowl, I beat them well, I put a good piece of butter in the pan, I throw the eggs into it, and I shake it constantly.
Legacy
By 1932, the omelette was on the regular menu of every restaurant in the city, according to a contemporary.[1]: 14 Food writer David Lebovitz called it the most celebrated omelette in the world.[10] Paul Bocuse, after dining at Auberge, wrote in the guest book, "Mother Poulard is France!"[15]
In 2006
Anne Poulard's husband died on October 10, 1924,[1]: 55 and she died on May 7, 1931.[1]: 60 The couple are buried in the parish churchyard of eglise St-Pierre on Mont-Saint-Michel.[8][17] Their epitaph reads "Here lie Annette and Victor Poulard, good spouses, good hoteliers. May the Lord welcome them as they welcomed their guests."[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Couillard, E. (1932). La Mere Poulard.
- ^ Pierre, Jenny (August 8, 2014). "Nés à Nevers : la Mère Poulard et ses omelettes du Mont-Saint-Michel". www.lejdc.fr. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Girard, Caroline (January 1, 2018). "Histoire – Nevers et la Mère Poulard, une histoire simple comme une bonne omelette". www.lejdc.fr. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ "La Mère Poulard (Mother Poulard) from Mont Saint-Michel – Normandy". www.pariscityvision.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Chatrath, K. J. S. (October 15, 2006). "The wonder isle of France". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ ISBN 9782205169409.
- ^ Rébilllon, Edith (January 23, 2008). "L'histoire de la Mère Poulard". www.patrimoine-normand.com (in French). Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "La Mère Poulard and a very modern scandal, on Mont Saint-Michel". Normandy Then and Now. September 23, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ a b "Inn". La Mère Poulard. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c d Lebovitz, David (March 13, 2017). "La Mere Poulard Omelet, Mont Saint-Michel". Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Greene, Gael (July 25, 1994). Reality Bites. New York Magazine.
- ^ "La Mère Poulard". www.le-mont-saint-michel.org. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
- ISBN 9781909808508.
- ^ Sev. "The Famous Omelet of La Mère Poulard at the Mont Saint-Michel". Living Language. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "The beautiful story of Mother Poulard-Le Mont Saint-Michel". The Mont Saint-Michel. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ Mollé, Philippe (January 20, 2007). "Le secret de la mère Poulard". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved October 16, 2019.
- ^ "Anne Boutiaut". elle.fr (in French). Retrieved September 25, 2019.