The Poached-Peach Melba

By miss5elements

French chef Auguste Escoffier dreamed up the classic dessert in the late 19th century in honor of opera singer Nellie Melba. Britton Bauer's modern version features sugared croutons & a crushed-berry sauce that elevate this simple fruity concoction to a crunchy, tangy, & sweet delicacy. "It's elegant, slightly old-fashioned, and always a showstopper," she says.

Ingredients

• 1 c raspberry sauce
• 8 poached peach halves, peeled
• 1/2 c sugared croutons or chopped pistachios
• Honey whipped cream
• 2 pts vanilla ice cream
• RASPBERRY SAUCE
• 2 pts fresh or two 6-oz packages frozen (thawed) raspberries
• 1 c sugar
• POACHED PEACHES
• 1 750ml bottle chardonnay or zinfandel, or 3c of water
• 2 c sugar
• 1 c torn basil leaves
• 4 large peaches, halved & pitted
• SUGARED CROUTONS
• 6 croissants or 1 loaf bread (any kind)
• 8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 t ground cardamom
• HONEY WHIPPED CREAM
• 3 T honey
• 1.5 c heavy cream

Details

Preparation time 60mins
Cooking time 180mins
Adapted from instyle.com

Preparation

Step 1

For Raspberry Sauce:
1. Push raspberries through a sieve into a med bowl.
2. Stir in sugar & let stand in the refrigerator for 1-2 hrs to allow it to dissolve into a sauce.

For Poached Peaches:
1. Combine wine (or water), sugar, and basil in a 4qt saucepan & bring to a near boil over low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
2. Gently place fruit into warm poaching liquid & cook, turning fruit as needed, until tender (~15 min).
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove fruit & let it cool. Once cool refrigerate fruit in its poaching liquid for up to 3 days.

For Sugared Croutons:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Tear croissants into 1" chunks. Melt butter in a lg saucepan over med heat. Add sugar & cardamom, stirring to dissolve sugar. Toss bread pieces into the mixture to coat. Remove from heat.
3. Arrange croutons on a baking sheet, allowing any extra butter to drip back into saucepan.
4. Bake until croutons are crispy (~20 min), tossing halfway through. Let cool or serve warm.

For Honey Whipped Cream:
1. Combine honey & cream in a lg bowl.
2. Using a hand mixer, whisk until soft peaks form.

To Assemble:
1. Place 1 scoop of ice cream in a dish, and top w/1 peach half.
2. Drizzle w/raspberry sauce & sprinkle w/croutons. Top w/honey whipped cream.
3. Repeat steps for each of the remaining peach halves.