How to Make Peach Melba

June 15, 2020

Dame Nellie Melba was an international Aussie superstar, who was at the peak of her career around 1900. We are honoured to be able to say that she even visited Jenolan Caves in 1912 to attend a party.

Nellie Melba was such a massive star that Auguste Escoffier, the legendary cook at London’s Savoy Hotel, created several dishes for her – 'Melba Toast', 'Melba Sauce' (a sweet purée of raspberries and redcurrant), and 'Melba Garniture' (chicken, truffles and mushrooms stuffed into tomatoes with velouté). In 1892, Melba was performing in Wagner's opera, Lohengrin, at Covent Garden. The Duke of Orléans, with whom Melba was rumoured to be having an affair, gave a dinner party to celebrate her triumph. For the occasion, Escoffier created a new 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 which were topped with spun sugar. He called his creation 'Peche Melba'. It became a classic dessert that we know as Peach Melba.

Our Head Chef, Mark Livingstone, is doing a video series called “Make it with Mark”, and in the above video, he demonstrates Peach Melba. For your next dinner party, you can forget the ice swan, and impress your friends with this very simple, yet elegant dessert:

Ingredients

• preserved peaches (half a peach per person)

• raspberries and icing sugar (equal parts)

• vanilla ice cream

• flaked almonds

Method

1. Mash the raspberries and icing sugar together.

2. Put the mixture aside for approx. 30 minutes.

3. Strain the mixture, toss out the seeds and use the liquid only.

4. Place half a preserved peach on each plate.

5. Place one scoop of ice cream next to each peach.

6. Creatively drizzle the sauce over both, and top with flaked almonds.