Peach Melba

This beloved British dessert has a storied history that dates back to the 1890s. The renowned French chef Auguste Escoffier first developed a version of the dish in honor of the Australian soprano singer Nellie Melba who was performing at Covent Garden. After her performance, she attended a dinner party at the Savoy Hotel where Escoffier presented her with a dish of vanilla ice cream and fresh peaches in a silver bowl set in an ice sculpture of a swan. It was called pêche au cygne (peach in swan) as a reference to the opera Lohengrin, which Melba had just performed in.

A few years later, Escoffier riffed on that dessert when he opened the Ritz Carlton in London. There he added a spoonful of sweetened raspberry purée and updated the name to pêche Melba, or peach Melba. Today the dessert echoes all the familiar trappings of the original, with a glossy poached peach and bright raspberry syrup. While peach Melba looks elegant, this happens to be an easy, low-lift dessert that plays up summer’s favorite produce, fitting for both an opera singer and friends and family alike.

Grilled Peach Melba
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2006

Peach Melba is made traditionally by poaching the peaches in the sugar water mixture. This recipe grills the peaches instead.

3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for the raspberries
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
1 vanilla bean, scraped
4 medium peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut in half
8 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Mint leaves, for garnish

Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.

Place 3/4 cup sugar, water, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, and the seeds from the vanilla bean into a small saucepan and set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the peaches; spooning the sauce over them. Set aside.

Place the raspberries, the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon sugar into the bowl of a food processor and puree. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl. Cover and set in the refrigerator.

Once the grill is hot, place the peaches over direct heat and grill on each side for 3 to 4 minutes or until they are tender. Remove from the heat to a container with the syrup and cover with aluminum foil for 5 minutes.

To serve, place the ice cream into 4 bowls and top each bowl with 2 peach halves. Drizzle each bowl with the raspberry sauce, garnish with a few mint leaves and serve immediately.

4 servings