SUMMER means stone fruit, and peaches are one of the season's highlights.
The peach melba is a classic dessert, invented in 1892 or 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at London's Savoy Hotel to honour Australian soprano Nellie Melba. It combines peaches and raspberry sauce accompanying vanilla ice cream.
In 1892, Nellie Melba was performing in Wagner's opera Lohengrin at Covent Garden.
The Duke of Orleans gave a dinner party to celebrate her triumph.
For the occasion, Escoffier created a dessert and to display it he used an ice sculpture of a swan, which is featured in the opera.
The swan carried peaches, which rested on a bed of vanilla ice cream and were topped with spun sugar.
In 1900, Escoffier created a new version of the dessert.
For the occasion of the opening of the Carlton Hotel, where he was head chef, Escoffier omitted the ice swan and topped the peaches with raspberry puree.
Not surprisingly, the dish has seen many variations in the ingredients - other versions of this dessert use pears, apricots, or strawberries instead of peaches - and in the presentation.
Which ever you choose, the taste always reflects the best of summer eating.
PEACH MELBA
- 4 ripe peaches
- 1 whole vanilla bean
- 1 cup sugar, plus 4 tspns
- 600ml vanilla ice cream
- 1 punnet raspberries
- 1/2 tspn fresh lemon juice
BRING a large saucepan of water to a simmer over high heat. Lower the peaches into the simmering water and blanch just long enough to loosen their skins, about 1 minute.
Transfer the peaches with a slotted spoon to a bowl of iced water to cool, then peel, halve lengthwise, and discard the pits.
Put the peach halves and the vanilla bean into a wide dish (a shallow dinner plate is ideal) and sprinkle with a cup of the sugar. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until the peach juices are extracted (by the reaction with the sugar) and most of the sugar dissolves, about an hour.
Bring 3 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
Add the peaches and the sugary juices and vanilla bean, reduce the heat to medium, and poach, gently stirring occasionally, until the peaches are just soft when pierced, 8-12 minutes.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, partially cover, and set aside until the peaches are cool, 1-2 hours.
Transfer the pot to the refrigerator until the peaches are thoroughly chilled, 2-3 hours.
You can put them in the fridge overnight, ready for assembling the dish the next day.
Puree the raspberries in a blender, then strain through a sieve into a bowl, pressing the puree through with a rubber spatula; discard the seeds.
Add the remaining 4 teaspoons of sugar and the lemon juice to the puree, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
To serve, arrange 1 or 2 peach halves, pit side down, on a serving dish (save poaching liquid for another use).
Spoon some of the raspberry sauce over the peaches and accompany with scoops of ice cream.
An alternative serving suggestion
WHILE the peaches are cooling in their poaching liquid, divide softened ice cream between 4 wide dessert dishes, making a smooth, even layer in the bottom of each dish; transfer to the freezer until the ice cream is solid.
Serve the peaches on the ice cream base and drizzle with the raspberry puree.
