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Pêche Melba

  • A Polish lady that I had not seen for many years came to visit me.
  • We sat in the garden chatting over coffee and cake.
  • She mentioned a cake she had not had for ages  – Tort Melba.
  • She told me it was based around  Pêche Melba – Peach Melba 
  • However she could not remember the recipe.
  • I said I would look the recipe up and make it for her.
  • I have done and tried several different versions, which will be posted soon.
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  • First here is a little history about Peach Melba.
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  • Dame Nellie Melba (1861–1931) – born Helen Porter Mitchell – was an Australian operatic soprano.
  • She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century.
  • She took the pseudonym “Melba” from Melbourne, her home town.
  • In 1892 Nellie Melba was performing in Wagner’s opera Lohengrin at Covent Gardens.
  • The Duke of Orléans gave a dinner party at the Savoy Hotel in London to celebrate her triumph.
  • For the occasion, Escoffier created a new dessert Pêche Melba – Peach Melba.
  • He used an ice sculpture of a swan, which carried peaches resting on a bed of vanilla ice cream and these were topped with spun sugar.
  • In 1900, he created a new version of the dessert at the opening of the Carlton Hotel where he was head chef.
  • The ice swan was not used and the ice cream and peaches were now topped with a purée of sugared raspberries.
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  • Below is an easy recipe for Peach Melba using tinned peaches.

Ingredients

  • Tinned peach halves – 2 per serving
  • Vanilla ice cream – 2 scoops per serving
  • Raspberry sauce – made from raspberry jam
  • Lemon juice – optional

Method

  • An easy raspberry sauce can be made from good (home-made) raspberry jam.
  • Put around 4 to 5 tablespoons of raspberry jam and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan.
  • Heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until you have a pouring sauce.
  • If your jam is very sweet and a little lemon juice.
  • Leave to cool.
  • Allow two peach halves per serving and arrange these on a flat plate.
  • Add two scoops of vanilla ice cream next to the peaches.
  • Pour some raspberry sauce over the ice cream and peaches.
  • Serve any remaining sauce in a little jug.

Hasselback Potatoes

  • Leif Elisson in 1953 was a trainee chef at the Hasselbacken restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden and invented these potatoes à la Hasselbacken.
  • I first came across them about two years ago on a stitching/craft week.
  • One of the ladies there made these for dinner.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized starchy potatoes per person
  • 2-3 tablespoons of olive or sunflower oil
  • 1 tablespoon of salt – flakes are good
  • 1 tablespoon of butter

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to GM6 – 200°C.
  • Have a baking tray ready.
  • Keep the skins on the potatoes, remove any blemishes.
  • Place the potato in the bowl of a large wooden spoon.
  • With a sharp knife cut even slits in the potato.
  • The side of the wooden spoon prevents cutting all the way through.
  • Place the potatoes on the baking tray.
  • Open up the fan a little.
  • Brush lightly with the oil.
  • Sprinkle on the salt.
  • Bake for 45 – 50 minutes.
  • Spoon any oil on the tray back over the potatoes.
  • Add a dab of butter onto each potato.
  • Cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.

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Notes

  • You could microwave larger potatoes for around 10 minutes before cutting.
  • You can sprinkle the cut potatoes with dried herbs.
  • You could use spray oil.