Escoffier, in Le Guide Culinaire, first published in 1903, lists 69 salades composées, most with romantic names like Opéra (chicken, celery, truffles, asparagus), Rachel (celery, truffles, artichoke bottoms, potatoes, and asparagus), and Victoria (lobster, truffles, cucumbers, and asparagus). Except for the preponderance of truffles, all of Escoffier’s classic salads can easily be tossed together at home, but nowadays one rarely bothers duplicating a nine-tenth-century salad when it makes much more sense to improvise, based on what’s around and what’s in season. These old recipes can, however, be a source of ideas. Here are a few classics. Don’t worry about the truffles—just leave them out or add a little truffle oil or truffle juice to your sauce. Sliced mushrooms, while no substitute, are also good in salads that call for truffles.
