Peach Melba

Serves: 10

A sweet peach dessert with raspberry sauce and Chantilly cream that is sure to impress any guest.

INGREDIENTS

For the poached peaches

• 4 ¼ pints (2l) water
• 2 cups (400g) sugar
• Scant 1 cup (250g) raspberry syrup
• Zest of ½ orange
• 2 vanilla beans
• 10 peaches

For the raspberry sauce

• 1 lb (500g) raspberry purée
• ½ cup (100 g) sugar
• ⅕ oz (6g) apple pectin

For the caramelised almonds

• Scant ¼ cup (50ml) water
• ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 4 ½ oz (125g) sliced almonds

For the translucent raspberry leaves

• 2 ⅔ cups (500g) sugar
• 4 ½ tbsp (100g) glucose syrup
• Raspberry extract

For the chantilly cream

• 1 ¼ cups (300ml) whipping cream
• 1 tbsp plus 1 scant tbsp (15g) confectioners’
• sugar
• Seeds from ½ vanilla bean
• Vanilla ice cream

DIRECTIONS

For the poached peaches

1Place all the ingredients, except the peaches, in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Chill for 24 hours. Peel the peaches. Bring the syrup to a boil and add the peaches. Immediately remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and leave to cool.

For the raspberry sauce

1Heat the raspberry purée. Incorporate the sugar and pectin, whipping until smooth. Leave to boil for 2 minutes. Transfer to a dish, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.

For the caramelised almonds

1Bring the water to a boil with the sugar and pour syrup over the sliced almonds. Drain the almonds; pick them up, one by one; and place them on a silicone baking sheet. Bake at 340°F (170°C), until golden. Set aside in an airtight container.

For the translucent raspberry leaves

1Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, and heat to 311°F (155°C). Pour the cooked mixture onto a silicone baking sheet and let it cool. When it has hardened, break into pieces. Place the pieces in the bowl of a food processor, and process until fairly fine. Strain through a sieve, so that you are left with sugar dust. Set aside in an airtight container.

2To cook: cut out food safe, 1¾ in (2 cm) acetate disks and place them on a silicone baking sheet. Sprinkle the raspberry sugar through a small strainer above the circles. Remove the acetate disks. Bake sugar at 350°F (180°C) for 2 minutes. Leave to cool, and store in an airtight container.

For the chantilly cream

1Whip all the ingredients together with an electric beater until firm. Spoon the cream into a pastry bag fitted with a ¼ in (1 cm) tip. Refrigerate until needed.

To plate

1Drain the peaches and dab them dry with a paper towel. Spoon the vanilla ice cream into a pastry bag fitted with a ½ in (14 mm) tip. Remove the pits from the peaches and fill them with vanilla ice cream. Cover the ice cream with caramelised almonds. Place the peaches on a rack, and douse in raspberry sauce. Then arrange them in the centre of each plate.

2Pipe out mounds of Chantilly cream around each peach. Arrange the caramelised almonds and translucent raspberry leaves, alternating them. Decorate the plate with reduced poaching syrup and raspberry sauce.

This comes courtesy of Taste of France Issue Two. For more great recipes, food news and interviews with top chefs, buy your copy here!