Poached peaches with a raspberry sauce and a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream make this peach Melba a wonderful dessert. It is a great way to take advantage of this summer fruit.
This is one of those desserts that is really easy to make and isn’t very heavy. It is perfect for summer to take advantage of the fresh peaches. Plus, you get a huge scoop of ice cream covered in raspberry sauce. It is the perfect dessert to cool down on a hot summer day and the best way to end a meal. The best part is you can make it ahead of time and serve it when you are ready.
What’s in peach Melba?
The best part about this recipe is how easy it is to make. Poaching the pears and the raspberry sauce only takes a few minutes and then all that is left is time to chill.
Peaches: you can use both fresh and frozen, however fresh takes advantage of the peaches during the season.
Raspberries: like the peaches you can use either fresh or frozen for this recipe.
Lemon: will add acidity and brightness to the dish and accentuate all of the other flavors in this dessert.
Getting prepared
When I am making desserts that use scoops of ice cream I have a little trick. I will line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then scoop the ice cream and place my scoops on the parchment paper. Then I will pop it back into the freezer and let them harden up. This will allow you to serve up the ice cream easily without having to let the whole carton soften when you are ready to serve.
Poaching the peaches
There aren’t many steps in the recipe, but the first one is getting the poaching liquid hot. Once it is boiling then you want to add the peaches cut side up first. Then flip them and cook until they are nice and tender. If possible, you will want to let them cool in the liquid once you remove it from the heat. Then chill for 4 hours so that the dessert is nice and cold. This is a dessert that can be made ahead of time or eaten right after they are done cooking.
Can I switch it up?
Absolutely! While this recipe is classically made with peaches and raspberry sauce here are some additional suggestions.
- Use alternative ice cream flavors such as peach and strawberry.
- Swap out the ice cream for sorbet.
- Add other herbs like basil, sage and lavender to the poaching liquid instead of mint.
- Use other stone fruit such as apricot, plums, or nectarines.
Looking for other peach recipes?
Peach Melba
Equipment
- Large pan
- Tongs
- Spoon
- Saucepan
- Fine mesh sieve
- Ice cream scoop
Ingredients
- 2 pounds peaches about 4, halved and pitted
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
Poaching liquid
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 10 mint leaves
Raspberry Sauce
- 12 ounces raspberries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
Poaching the peaches
- In a large pan over medium heat combine the water, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the peaches cut side up into the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes.
- Flip the peaches over, add the mint leaves, and cook for another 5-7 minutes and remove from the heat, and allow to cool in the pan. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- Remove the skin if you would like.
Making the raspberry sauce
- In a saucepan over medium heat add the raspberries, sugar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and a tablespoon of the poaching liquid. Cook the raspberries by continuously stirring until they break apart and the liquid boils.
- Continue to cook for another 5 minutes and then remove from the heat. Strain the sauce using the fine mesh sieve into a bowl, cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Once the peaches are cool add 2 scoops of ice cream and top with some raspberry sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
