Lundi: Recipes

Nellie Melba was an Australian gal with a beautiful voice.  So lovely was her singing that it won her world wide acclaim and a title as well.  Her name is now more familiar to most of us in relation to food rather than opera.  Dame Nellie had two items created for her by famous chef August Escoffier: Melba toast and Peach Melba.  The first were originally twice grilled, thin slices of bread that Nellie took for breakfast in the morning.  The second – quite against the lady’s weight-consciousness – was a decadent desert that is still on the menu at the Savoy Hotel, London, where it was originally created in 1894.

You can buy Melba toast at the store, if you’re so inclined, but you really should make your own Peach Melba.  Here’s how:

2 cups sugar

1 whole vanilla bean

8 medium peaches, peeled and pitted

2 pints frozen raspberries, thawed (or use fresh if available)

Vanilla ice cream

Slivered almonds

In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup of sugar and 2 cups water to a boil, add the vanilla bean and boil until the syrup reaches “thread stage”: 232 degrees on a candy thermometer.  Add the peaches and cook until they are tender and easily pierced with a knife.  This takes about 15 minutes.  Allow this mixture to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine raspberries with 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium high heat until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.  Cool this mixture and strain or blend to form a puree.

On eight dishes, put down a scoop of vanilla ice cream and top with a peach.  Drizzle with raspberry puree and a sprinkle of slivered almonds.  Recipe courtesy of The Wild Women Association.  Bon appetite ~

Header: Dame Nellie Melba as Ophelia via the National Archives of Australia