From France with Love: Champagne, Peaches, and Cream

Champagne Peach Melba Recipe

I’ve eaten juicy Georgia, Carolina, and Tennessee yellow peaches pretty much every June—except this one. From making peach pie to peach brandy, cobbler, cake, and ice cream, peach chutney, and jam, I’ve pitted, mashed, baked, jarred, and caramelized my fair share of this tasty stone fruit. As a true peach lover, I’m happy to report that the French pêches are equally delicious and are currently taking over the entire real estate of my kitchen counter.

My preferred way to enjoy a summer peach is baked inside some form of pie dough—warm or cold doesn’t really matter to me, as long as the fruit is ripe and the crust is flaky. Definitely some ice cream or whipped cream on the side, and my summer is complete. But when there isn’t time for making dough, and I want to serve a lighter peach dessert to friends, a classic Peach Melba is the way to go.

Basically a dish composed of poached peaches, fresh raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream, the invention of French chef Auguste Escoffier has remained a favorite among peach connoisseurs. For me, using canned peaches is a major faux pas; raspberry sauce must also be made with fresh fruit, and there needs to be some sort of crunchy element.

The first time I was served Peach Melba in France, I made it myself during a cooking class in Paris. Chef Frédéric at Le Foodist—a very genial yet precise teacher—instructed us to poach the peaches whole, then peel and slice them in half to remove the pits. If you’ve ever peeled the skin away from a peach, you know it must be done carefully to avoid damaging the softened yellow flesh. While I worked to keep my fruit intact for plating, my late-to-arrive and not-so-serious partner mauled her peaches beyond recognition. Needless to say, half of the group dined on Peach Melba, while the other half had peach pie filling.

keep reading for my recipe..