Peach Melba

For the Melba Moore album, see Peach Melba (album).
Peach Melba
Type Dessert
Creator Auguste Escoffier
Main ingredients Peaches, raspberry sauce, vanilla ice cream
Cookbook: Peach Melba  Media: Peach Melba

The Peach Melba (French: pêche Melba, pronounced [pɛʃ mɛl.ba]) is a dessert of peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream. The dish was invented in 1892 or 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel, London, to honour the Australian soprano Nellie Melba.[1][2]

In 1892, Nellie Melba was performing in Wagner's opera Lohengrin at Covent Garden. The Duke of Orléans gave a dinner party to celebrate her triumph. For the occasion, Escoffier created a new dessert, and to display it, he used an ice sculpture of a swan, which is featured in the opera. The swan carried peaches which rested on a bed of vanilla ice cream and which were topped with spun sugar. In 1900 Escoffier created a new version of the dessert. For the occasion of the opening of the Carlton Hotel, where he was head chef, Escoffier omitted the ice swan and topped the peaches with raspberry purée. Other versions of this dessert use pears, apricots, or strawberries instead of peaches and/or use raspberry sauce or melted redcurrant jelly instead of raspberry purée.[1]

Cultural significance

In tribute to Escoffier an elaborate deconstruction of the Peach Melba was served as the last dish at elBulli prior to its closure in 2012.[3][note 1]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ A photo of the dish can be found here.

References

  1. 1 2 Prosper Montagne, eds. (2001-10-02). "Melba". Larousse Gastronomique (Rev. Sub. ed.). New York City, New York: Clarkson Potter. p. 733. ISBN 978-0609609712.
  2. ↑ Avey, Tori. "Opera, Escoffier, and Peaches: The Story Behind the Peach Melba", August 22, 2012, accessed 9 April 2015
  3. ↑ "A última valsa do elBulli". Menu. Retrieved 2015-02-03.
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