Some time ago, we spoke about César Ritz who collaborated with the French chef Auguste Escoffier. While Escoffier revolutionised the way a hotel kitchen works, he created hundreds of recipes.
Coupe Melba might be the most famous one. With the main ingredients being peaches and strawberries, you might want to create it for your guests using the following ingredients from the original recipe, while the video shows you the steps.
The Recipe
Ice Cream:
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 4 peaches
- 1 pint vanilla ice cream
Raspberry Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups fresh raspberries
- 2 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
History
The Coupe Melba was invented by Auguste Escoffier in the Savoy Hotel in London in the 1890s. The name is of course no coincidence: the dessert was created in honour of the famous singer Nellie Melba and it contains two of her favourite summer fruits: peach and raspberry.
Who Was Nellie Melba?
Dame Nellie Melba was born Helen Porter Mitchel in Melbourne in 1861. From her very early school career it seemed to be clear that her talents were singing, piano and arts. She did not acquire her stage name by marriage but by using parts of the name of her city of birth.
Her career was a long and an outstanding one. We think, she deserves in her honour.