I’ve made plenty of peach melba-ish recipes – a lovely combination of peaches and raspberries. But I’ve never actually made the real thing. So I was looking forward to this recipe, even though I’ve been trying to hold off on decadent desserts. At least this is fruit! Right??
This is essentially peaches poached in a lovely syrup of vanilla and lemon. Then served with a raspberry sauce and ice cream. From there, well, you can add a lot more decadence if you want. But the ingredients are quite simple, and things I had on hand. I happen to love Chambord, so it’s fun to have an excuse to use some to ramp up the “yum” factor.
To start, the peaches have to be peeled first. I like Dorie’s idea of “count to 20” while the peach is in the boiling water. It worked well, they peeled easily. Once that’s done, a simple syrup is made, simmered with a bit of lemon and vanilla bean for a bit, to create the poaching liquid.
The peaches get poached in the syrup for about 10 minutes. Of course, as usual, I didn’t read the recipe correctly, so I halved the peaches. But I think it was ok anyway, as these were not the very best peaches (they smelled good, but not as much flavor as others I’ve had), so that allowed the flavor to permeate the peaches a bit more. Once the peaches have poached for about 10 minutes, they are put in a bowl and cooled and/or chilled.
Meanwhile, the raspberry sauce had to be made, and really couldn’t have been simpler. I don’t like making a zillion things dirty if I don’t have to, so instead of using a blender or food processor, and then straining the sauce, I just pushed the raspberries through the strainer. A little extra effort, but fewer dishes… It gets finished with a bit of the peach-infused syrup to give it a bit of sweetness. This gets set aside in the refrigerator.
Once the components are ready, it’s a simple matter of assembly.
One peach half with some syrup, some ice cream, the other peach half, and then the raspberry sauce. It was suggested that whipped cream and toasted almonds would be good additions. While I agree, I decided that I’d go ahead with the simpler version.
This turned out to be delicious, and was still very nice in it’s purer version. That allowed the peach, lemon, vanilla and raspberry flavors shine through. I agree a bit of crunch would have been nice – but then again, there’s always next time!
This turned out to be a lovely old-fashioned dessert that still stands the test of time. It was fun to finally make the classic!
dulceshome 
Your peaches look fabulous!
Perfect dessert to showcase those summer fruits! Nice pics!
Just a beautiful dessert…I enjoyed making this and eating it, too! Lovely!
I like the idea of halving the peaches to let them absorb more flavour from the poaching liquid. Your dessert looks lovely.
Candy, very lovely looking Peach Melba! I agree, the whipped cream was not necessary and made it even more delicious. With respect to the pumpkin seed brittle, I will add the “recipe” to my blog post tomorrow morning.
Yay, I am excited to try it!!!
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Candy, me again – I added the recipe for the Pumpkin Seed Brittle to my Peach Melba post – if there are any questions left, please do let me know.
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Looks delicious. I think that this is a dish which could be made easier (with store bought ice cream and canned peaches) or more difficult (with home made everything). I went the more difficult route this first time around, but I could also see adding a few short cuts in next time around.
Oh, Candy, yours looks so beautiful, I just love that little dish it’s sitting in. Who would not feel utterly spoiled and loved being presented with that?? Yeah, it’s fruit…love that it’s fruit, and so perfectly in season! (Left you a reply on your comment on my blog, thanks for stopping by!)
THe Peach Melba looks delicious:) The next time I make it, I am going to halve the peaches before poaching. Have a nice weekend!
Candy – your dessert and serving dish are just lovely.
This was such a flexible dish – I love seeing how everyone customized it.
Totally old fashioned but definitely stands up to the test of time! I loved the “count to 20′ rule too!
So beautiful, Candy…love your dishes 🙂 Happy #100!!!
SO beautiful in your fancy dishes! Happy #100!
None of my comments seem to stick, so I apologize if you see 5 of them! So lovely in your beautiful bowls! Happy #100 🙂
I couldn’t seem to leave a comment except by signing in to my Twitter acct….grrrrrr. Happy #100! Your Melba looks fantastic~
Sorry! I sometimes have a hard time leaving comments, and it’s totally frustrating – I know! How nice of you to try again!
BTW, the bowl was my grandmother’s. She had an amazing pressed glass collection – it was fun to have an excuse to use it!
Youi already did what I intend to do the next time I make this – cut the peaches in half prior to letting the sauce seep into the fruity flesh. I had one hell of a time cutting the “slippery” peaches in half and the pits were difficult to remove. My halves were not pretty but ice cream and whipped cream (I left nothing off) covered up that problem. Like you, I also got rid of the seeds. Although I had never made anything like this before, unlike you, I loved the whole elegant idea of this. As did my trusty tasters. And, yes, these guys are good sports about indulging my cooking whims. Like Liz, love the pressed glass bowl. Anytime I can find one in a thrift shop, I pounce on it
Thanks!!! Of course, it’s better to be lucky than good – I didn’t read the recipe closely, so just assumed they should be halved. :). This was a lot of fun!
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we should have cut and pit our peaches prior to poaching as well…. what a great idea! 🙂 i also LOVE your dishes!! 🙂
I adored these peaches. I ended up slicing my peaches because I’m a messy eater, but I cooked them whole.. Halving them before poaching is a great idea, the better to absorb the delicious syrup. I love your depression glass dish. So perfect for this dessert! Happy 100, Candy! I’ve enjoyed getting to know you as we cook together.