Today’s recipe for peach melba was inspired by a recent video from one of my favorite youtube cooks Max Miller. So before we get into the recipe I just want to give a quick shout-out to him. If you’ve never heard of him before he has a wonderful youtube channel called Tasting History. It is dedicated to recreating historical recipes while also exploring some of the fun and interesting history surrounding the dish. So if you’re a fan of either food or history then I highly recommend you check out his channel!
What is Peach Melba?
Peach melba is a classic Escoffier dessert consisting of peaches layered over vanilla ice cream with raspberry sauce drizzled over top. The peaches are traditionally blanched to help soften them up and for easy removal of the skins. But today I want to take it a step further by poaching the peaches.
This not only makes the peaches a bit sweeter thanks to the simple syrup that is created during the poaching process. But it also allows us to incorporate additional flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom. Plus, it really only takes a couple of extra minutes to do compared to blanching the peaches. And in my humble opinion, results in a much more decadent dish.
So I think Escoffier would approve.
Tips, Tricks & suggestions
- Since this is such a simple dish it is at its best when peaches are in season. Thankfully you can apply the same methods applied in this recipe with all sorts of different fruit. For example, you can swap out the peaches for apricots, pears, or even mangos. And similarly, the raspberries can be replaced with blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and even currents. So feel free to experiment with whatever type of fruit is in season where you live.
- If you are using very ripe peaches then you should have no problem removing the pits before poaching them. However, if you are having trouble removing them then feel free to leave them in while poaching. It won’t negatively affect the process. Then once the peaches are poached and softened, the pits should come out easily.
- Check out some of our other great recipes featuring peaches like Peach Crumble Bars, and Peach Preserves.
Peach Melba Recipe
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For the poached peaches:
3 Peaches
2 Cups of water
1½ Cup of granulated sugar
1 Cinnamon stick (optional)
2 Cardamom pods, lightly crushed (optional)
½ Teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the raspberry sauce:
1 Cup of fresh raspberries
1 Cup of powdered sugar
For the rest of the dish:
Vanilla ice cream
Slivered almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Prep your peaches by cutting them in half and removing the pits.
- Poach the peaches: Add the water, granulated sugar, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick to a medium-sized pot. Stir the liquid over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves into the water. Let the liquid come to a simmer and place the peach halves into the poaching liquid. Cover the pot and let the peaches poach for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the peaches over with some tongs, cover the pot again, and let them continue to poach for an additional 5 to 6 minutes. You will know that the peaches are done when they are easily pierced by a fork or knife. Take the pot off of the heat, add in the vanilla extract and stir to incorporate. Transfer the peaches along with the poaching liquid to a bowl and let them cool in your fridge for at least 1 hour.
- (Optional) Use your hands to peel the skin off of the poached peaches once they have cooled completely.
- Make the raspberry sauce: Add the raspberries to either a blender or food processor and pulse until it forms a smooth puree. Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve over a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add in a ⅛ cup of powdered sugar and whisk until it is fully incorporated into the raspberry puree. Keep adding in a little bit of the powdered sugar and whisking it into the puree until the entire 1 cup of powdered sugar is fully incorporated. Place the raspberry sauce into your fridge and let it cool for an hour.
- Assemble the peach melba: Add a couple of scoops of the vanilla ice cream into a small serving dish. Place 1 of the poached peach halves over the scoops of ice cream, and drizzle some of the raspberry sauce over top. Sprinkle on some of the slivered almonds as a garnish if using.
- Serve immediately and enjoy.
Peach Melba Recipe
Ingredients
For the poached peaches:
- 3 Peaches
- 2 Cups of water
- 1½ Cup of granulated sugar
- 1 Cinnamon stick optional
- 2 Cardamom pods lightly crushed (optional)
- ½ Teaspoon of vanilla extract
For the raspberry sauce:
- 1 Cup of fresh raspberries
- 1 Cup of powdered sugar
For the rest of the dish:
- Vanilla ice cream
- Slivered almonds optional
Instructions
- Prep your peaches by cutting them in half and removing the pits.
- Poach the peaches: Add the water, granulated sugar, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick to a medium-sized pot. Stir the liquid over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves into the water. Let the liquid come to a simmer and place the peach halves into the poaching liquid. Cover the pot and let the peaches poach for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the peaches over with some tongs, cover the pot again, and let them continue to poach for an additional 5 to 6 minutes. You will know that the peaches are done when they are easily pierced by a fork or knife. Take the pot off of the heat, add in the vanilla extract and stir to incorporate. Transfer the peaches along with the poaching liquid to a bowl and let them cool in your fridge for at least 1 hour.
- (Optional) Use your hands to peel the skin off of the poached peaches once they have cooled completely.
- Make the raspberry sauce: Add the raspberries to either a blender or food processor and pulse until it forms a smooth puree. Strain the puree through a fine mesh sieve over a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add in a ⅛ cup of powdered sugar and whisk until it is fully incorporated into the raspberry puree. Keep adding in a little bit of the powdered sugar and whisking it into the puree until the entire 1 cup of powdered sugar is fully incorporated. Place the raspberry sauce into your fridge and let it cool for an hour.
- Assemble the peach melba: Add a couple of scoops of the vanilla ice cream into a small serving dish. Place 1 of the poached peach halves over the scoops of ice cream, and drizzle some of the raspberry sauce over top. Sprinkle on some of the slivered almonds as a garnish if using.
- Serve immediately and enjoy.