For National Peach Melba Day, let’s whip up a batch of this delectable Victorian-era dessert, originally made from peaches, raspberries, and ice cream. (Hmmm… rather like a frozen Bellini.) The dish was created by French Chef Auguste Escoffier in 1893 at London’s Savoy Hotel and named after the opera singer Nellie Melba. (Yes, the Melba Toast was also named after her.)
Super Simple Peach Melba
Sauce: 4 c fresh (or frozen) raspberries
2 T powdered (confectioners’) sugar
1 T lemon juice
¼ c water
Peaches: 4 c water
2 c sugar (or monkfruit)
¼ c honey
1 tsp 100% pure vanilla extract (or paste or a split vanilla pod)
2 T lemon juice
8 peaches (2½ – 3 lbs), halved (pits removed, if easy)
1 pint (or more) vanilla or French vanilla ice cream
Fresh raspberries, for garnish
Make the sauce by simmering the raspberries, powdered sugar, lemon juice and water for 8-10 minutes. Then pour and press (with the back of a spoon) through a fine sieve into a medium bowl to remove all seeds. Set aside. Poach the peach halves by combining water, sugar, honey, vanilla, & lemon juice in a Dutch oven over med-low heat till sugar dissolves. Increase heat to med-high and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to med-low again and poach the peach halves for 2 min on each side. Use slotted spoon to turn them over and to transfer peach halves to an ice bath (large bowl half filled with ice and water) to stop the cooking before transferring to a plate. (Remove any remaining pits.) Use a sharp knife to peel off and discard the peach skins. Let the peaches cool completely and chill in the refrigerator. To serve, arrange 2 peach halves on each of 4 plates, along with a scoop (or more) of ice cream. Drizzle raspberry sauce over it all (or use it as a base). Garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
KISS Tips: This is also nice garnished with some coarsely chopped, roasted pistachio nuts. You can refrigerate the poached peach halves in the poaching liquid. Also, you can transfer the cooled poaching liquid to a freezer bag and freeze it till your next peach poaching project.
KISS Variations: Go for the Frozen Bellini Melba by omitting the water in the sauce, but adding ¼ – 1/3 c chilled Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) just before drizzling over the peaches and ice cream. Or opt for Peach Melba Parfaits, by simply dicing the peaches and layering in tall, clear glass flutes with ice cream, raspberries, and a drizzle of sauce… and perhaps some chopped almonds or pistachios.
