Sweet And Simple Peach Melba Sundae Recipe

There's nothing quite like the juicy sweetness of a perfectly ripe, fresh peach, and this soft fuzzy stone fruit only gets sweeter when poached. The peach Melba is a timeless dessert, mixing elegance and simplicity to perfection, no matter how it is served up — be it in cake, pie, or sundae form. This recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, opts for the latter option, using fresh peaches, raspberries, and ice cream to great effect, assembling a dessert fit for a dinner party in just over 30 minutes. 

Slightly under-ripe peaches are poached in a sweet liquid flavored with lemon and vanilla, before being peeled and served with scoops of vanilla ice cream. The raspberry sauce comes together in minutes, with raspberries, confectioners' sugar, and a little lemon juice combining to make a tart yet sweet accompaniment with a perfect drizzling consistency. Equally delicious whether it is made ahead of time or freshly cooked, this peach melba sundae recipe is a wonderfully easy yet sophisticated dessert option that can be served at any occasion.

To begin this sweet and simple peach melba sundae recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. You will want fresh raspberries, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice and lemon peel, fresh peaches, granulated sugar, a vanilla pod, and vanilla ice cream to serve.

To make the raspberry sauce, add the raspberries, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of water to a blender.

Blend for 15 to 20 seconds.

Pour the raspberry mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds then set aside.

Halve the peaches and remove the pits.

Add roughly 2 cups of hot water, the granulated sugar, lemon peel, and vanilla pod into a wide saucepan over medium heat.

When the mixture is simmering gently and the sugar has dissolved, add as many peaches as you can fit in the pan.

Poach each peach for roughly 3 minutes and then turn them over and poach for another 3 minutes, until softened.

Remove the peaches from heat after poaching.

Peel the skin off the peaches and discard. Leave the peaches to cool for 10 minutes.

Serve the cooled peaches with vanilla ice cream and a generous drizzle of raspberry sauce.

Peaches and vanilla ice cream make for a perfect flavor combination, with the subtle juicy sweetness of the stone fruit complemented and contrasted by the smooth creamy warmth of vanilla. However, peaches are not the only stone fruit that can be poached and served up in this elegant dish. If you are looking for a change, or peaches aren't available in your local store, you can substitute them for apricots, plums, or nectarines to provide a similar fruity ice cream accompaniment. Similarly, the raspberries can be substituted for other berries such as strawberries, blueberries, or cranberries, to give your dessert a different flavor finish.

To give the peaches a different flavor, you can substitute in white wine when assembling the poaching liquid, and to give it more spice, a cinnamon stick adds delicious warmth to the resulting peaches. Alternatively, grilling the peaches will give them a lovely smoky finish and can make a great dessert option for a barbecue. If you're looking to skip the ice cream, simply swap it out for a few spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt. Finally, if you are looking for a little more texture in your dessert, a sprinkling of nutty granola on top of the peaches and ice cream adds a lovely crunch to the dish.

Peaches are a little bit like avocados in that they similarly turn from being rock hard to perfectly ripe, and then squishy and bruised, in the blink of an eye. As a result, these delicate stone fruits need to be carefully handled, however, poaching them gives them a little more longevity than their fresh counterparts. Once poached, your peaches can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. The best way to keep them from drying out is to reserve the poaching liquid and, once it is cooled, pour it over the peaches before placing them in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen, though this will impact their texture once defrosted.

Any leftovers can simply be enjoyed as they are, chilled, or reheated from the fridge. However, if you are looking for some different ways to use up your poached peaches, there are many options available to you. These peaches can be enjoyed on your breakfast cereal or served on toast with honey and whipped feta. For larger meal options, why not try adding them to a fresh salad, or even using them to top a summery prosciutto pizza? Finally, the poached peaches make an excellent sweet addition to any drink, and can easily be blended and then added to chilled champagne for a delicious peach Bellini.