Today, everything is just peachy - January 13 is National Peach Melba Day! If youre yearning for warmer temperatures, its the perfect time to indulge in this fun, vintage dessert that combines the best summer fruits and treats. Peach Melba is simply great, big scoops of vanilla ice cream lovingly topped with thick slices of peach, all doused in a rich raspberry purée. Nothing could be sweeter - or easier. The Peach Melba was created by the Savoy Hotels chef, Auguste Escoffier, in honor of Australian soprano, Nellie Melba, when she came to perform Wagners Lohengrin opera at Covent Garden in 1892. Escoffier used a swan ice sculpture to display the dessert, which was topped with spun sugar. In 1900, he made a few changes for the opening of the Carlton Hotel, taking out the ice swan and topping the peaches with raspberry purée. Of course, over time, pears, apricots and strawberries have stood as substitutes for the peaches, and red currant jelly has often replaced the purée.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 07:23:22 +0000