Peach Melba: A French Dessert That Sings of Summer
Created for and named after a famed opera singer, this simple dessert combines vanilla ice cream, raspberry coulis, and peaches at peak ripeness
Easy summer elegance: syrup-poached peaches, vanilla ice cream, and raspberry coulis, garnished with slivered almonds and basil. Photo by Audrey Le Goff
Think of pêche Melba as France’s version of peaches and cream—but with that little extra je ne sais quoi.
The French bistro classic is a cup-held dessert of syrup-poached peaches served atop vanilla ice cream, all doused with a sweet-tart raspberry coulis. It’s a breeze to recreate at home, and is naturally best made at the height of summer, when peaches are at their sweetest, juiciest peak.
Made to Serve a Star
Pêche Melba was invented by the renowned French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel in London in 1892.
Audrey Le Goff
Author
Audrey Le Goff is a French food writer, photographer, and creator of the food blog PardonYourFrench.com, where she shares recipes and stories from her beloved home country, France. She is the author of the cookbook “Rustic French Cooking Made Easy” (2019). Follow her on Instagram @pardonyourfrench.
