Peach Melba With Raspberry Sauce

Peach Melba with Raspberry Sauce is an old-fashioned dessert that really deserves a comeback! Every summer when peaches are in season, I look forward to serving this after enjoying a grilled dinner on the patio.

Why is it called Peach Melba?

This dessert was created by renowned French chef Auguste Escoffier while he was chef of the Savoy in London. He named it in honor of Dame Nellie Melba, an Australian soprano famous in the late 19th and early 20th century. He came to know her when she frequented his restaurants while performing at Covent Garden in London. He also named Melba Toast after her!

I like to use yellow peaches because the color contrast with the vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce is so beautiful. However, I had received white ones in my produce box so I just went with those.

I also LOVE my soft skin vegetable peeler. Can you see the small serrated edges on it? It makes peeling peaches and tomatoes so easy and clean.

Poaching the peaches

This recipe uses a poaching method to barely cook the peaches, but to infuse them with lots of flavor. You make a simple syrup and add lemon peels and vanilla bean. It is SO delicious! Then you barely heat the mixture with the peaches in it, then remove it from the heat. The residual heat in the syrup will render the peaches just tender enough without being mushy.

Raspberry Sauce

The raspberry sauce is very simply raspberries, a little sugar, and a touch of lemon juice. You can use fresh raspberries or frozen.

To serve Peach Melba with Raspberry Sauce, spoon some of the sauce into a serving dish, then put a peach half and a scoop of ice cream on it. You can drizzle more sauce over the top if you wish, but I like it just like this … with a sprig of mint, of course!