Indulge in a culinary delight with Chef John's Peach Melba, a symphony of flavors that offers a refreshing and elegant dessert experience. This classic combination of sweet peaches, tangy raspberry sauce, and velvety vanilla ice cream is a timeless favorite, perfect for any occasion.
This article presents three variations of Peach Melba, each offering a unique twist on the traditional recipe. Explore the classic Chef John's Peach Melba, featuring fresh, ripe peaches poached in a luscious raspberry sauce. For a touch of sophistication, try the Peach Melba with Raspberry Sorbet, where the sorbet adds a light and icy dimension to the dish. And for a delightful play on textures, create Peach Melba Parfaits, layering the components in a parfait glass for an elegant presentation.
With step-by-step instructions, helpful tips, and stunning photos, this article guides you through each recipe, ensuring success in recreating these culinary masterpieces. Whether you prefer the classic combination or are looking for a creative twist, these Peach Melba variations are sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more.
CHEF JOHN'S PEACH MELBA
Peach Melba was created for Victorian era opera star Nellie Melba by the greatest chef of the time, Auguste Escoffier, who also named some thin, crispy toasts in her honor years later.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Desserts Fruit Dessert Recipes Raspberry Dessert Recipes
Time 4h30m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Combine raspberries, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, water, and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until sugar dissolves and berries collapse, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Combine 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and split vanilla bean in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Place peach halves with cut sides up in the syrup and simmer until tender, 5 to 8 minutes per side, basting with the syrup occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool in the syrup. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 4 hours.
- Remove peach skins and serve each peach half on top of a scoop of ice cream in a bowl. Spoon the raspberry sauce over the top. Garnish with toasted, slivered almonds.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 420.5 calories, Carbohydrate 96.5 g, Cholesterol 9.2 mg, Fat 4.6 g, Fiber 4.8 g, Protein 2.2 g, SaturatedFat 1.6 g, Sodium 21.3 mg, Sugar 90.7 g
CHEF JOHN'S PEACH PIE
Above and beyond beautiful, this lattice design is also very practical. When you're making pie with something like peaches, the relatively open top allows for lots of moisture to evaporate, which helps prevent the dreaded 'watery-pie syndrome.' That's also the reason we boil the excess juices down to a syrup.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Desserts Pies Fruit Pie Recipes Peach Pie Recipes
Time 2h15m
Yield 10
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Stir peaches, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain accumulated juices into a saucepan and return strained peaches to bowl.
- Bring juices in saucepan to a boil; reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until mixture thickens to a syrup, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Whisk 1/2 cup sugar, flour, and cornstarch together in a bowl. Stir lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon into peaches; add flour mixture and toss to coat. Pour peach syrup over peach mixture and stir.
- Roll out half the pastry to fit a 10-inch pie plate. Place bottom crust in pie plate. Pour peach filling into pie shell, tap pie plate against a surface to settle filling, and dot with butter.
- Roll remaining crust into an 11-inch circle and cut into 1-inch strips using a paring knife or pastry wheel.
- Lay 5 strips of pie crust over the top of the pie. Weave remaining pastry dough strips through to form a lattice top. Fold the ends of the lattice strips under the bottom crust and crimp the crust. Brush cream over the top and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Bake in the preheated oven until browned and bubbling, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 325.4 calories, Carbohydrate 47.2 g, Cholesterol 6.6 mg, Fat 14.3 g, Fiber 1.5 g, Protein 2.6 g, SaturatedFat 4.4 g, Sodium 223.5 mg, Sugar 27.6 g
PEACH MELBA
It's simple to prepare a memorable dessert for just you and someone else. Straight from our Test Kitchen, this yummy classic features fresh peaches and a super delicious raspberry sauce for drizzling. Idea: An easy way to peel peaches is to lower them into boiling water and cook them for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon; cool slightly and remove skin with a knife. Poaching peaches in syrup is a great way to soften peaches that are not yet ripe.
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Desserts
Time 50m
Yield 2 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a small saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Reduce heat to low. Place peach halves cut side up in pan; cook for 5-8 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat. Cool peaches in syrup for 30 minutes. , Remove peaches with a slotted spoon and place cut side down in a shallow dish. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours or until chilled., In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat raspberry jam for 20 seconds; stir until smooth. Place peach halves cut side up in dessert dishes. Top with ice cream; drizzle with jam.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 237 calories, Fat 4g fat (2g saturated fat), Cholesterol 15mg cholesterol, Sodium 27mg sodium, Carbohydrate 52g carbohydrate (47g sugars, Fiber 1g fiber), Protein 2g protein.
NOT-SO-CLASSIC PEACH MELBA
A classic peach Melba is a dessert of poached peach halves and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream, invented by the French chef Auguste Escoffier, and named after the Australian soprano Nellie Melba. This not-so-classic version calls for sliced ripe peaches instead of cooked peach halves. Look for the best vanilla ice cream, with real vanilla, or make your own. Easy to assemble, it's a lovely, refreshing and elegant dessert, perfect for when peaches and raspberries are in season.
Provided by David Tanis
Categories ice creams and sorbets, dessert
Time 20m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Make the raspberry sauce: Put 1 cup raspberries and 2 tablespoons sugar in a blender and whiz to liquify. Pour through a fine-meshed strainer and into a medium bowl. Keep cool.
- Using a paring knife, peel and halve the peaches. Slice the halves into half-moon pieces about 3/8-inch thick. Transfer to a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons sugar and a few drops of lemon juice to taste. Toss to coat.
- To serve, arrange peach slices in the bottom of 6 dessert bowls. Top each serving with a scoop or 2 of vanilla ice cream. Splash raspberry sauce over each portion. Garnish with a few raspberries if you wish.
CHEF JOHN'S PEACH TARTLETS
This recipe features the unusual and exotic Chinese five-spice powder. Peaches are a natural pairing for the aromatic blend of anise, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns, which usually make up this thousand-year-old spice.
Provided by Chef John
Categories Desserts Pies Tarts Fruit Tart Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 8
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat.
- Whisk sugar and Chinese five-spice powder together in a small bowl. Beat egg and water together in another bowl.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter foams, arrange peaches in a single layer in the skillet. Pour sugar mixture over the peaches; cook, turning peaches once, until sugar is melted, bubbling, and syrup has a tan color, about 2 minutes. Transfer peaches and syrup to a bowl to cool completely.
- Cut pie crusts into eight 4 1/2-inch rounds. Set rounds on prepared baking sheet and fold edges of each crust up to form a 1/2-inch rim. Brush each crust with egg mixture.
- Place 2 peach slices, pit-sides facing each other, in the center of each tart. Place 1 peach slice in center, skin-side up, in between the other two peaches. Drizzle excess syrup over the peaches.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden and bubbling, about 15 minutes.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 317.5 calories, Carbohydrate 31.6 g, Cholesterol 30.9 mg, Fat 19.7 g, Fiber 1.8 g, Protein 3.8 g, SaturatedFat 6 g, Sodium 284.2 mg, Sugar 9.4 g
Tips:
- Choose ripe, flavorful peaches. This will ensure that your Peach Melba is packed with flavor.
- Use a good quality vanilla ice cream. This will also contribute to the overall flavor of the dish.
- Don't overcook the peaches. You want them to be soft, but not mushy.
- Make sure the raspberry sauce is cold before serving. This will help to keep the Peach Melba cold and refreshing.
- Serve the Peach Melba immediately. This is the best way to enjoy it while it's still fresh and flavorful.
Conclusion:
Peach Melba is a classic dessert that is both delicious and easy to make. It's the perfect way to enjoy fresh peaches in season. With its sweet peaches, creamy ice cream, and tangy raspberry sauce, Peach Melba is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it.
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