A Sparkling Vintage Life

Retro Recipe Wednesday: Peach Melba


Peach Melba
(photo source: The History Kitchen)

In my recent post about the opera diva Dame Nellie Melba, I mentioned that a dessert named after her, Peaches Melba (or Peach Melba), became very popular in the early to mid-twentieth century. The famous French chef Escoffier created it in her honor. On the PBS site The History Kitchen (what a marvelous site for history buffs with robust appetites, like me!) writer Tori Avey tells us:

Nelli Melba (Photo source: operafresh.com)

Nellie Melba
(photo source: Opera Fresh)

“It was in London, while performing at Covent Garden, that Nellie became acquainted with Escoffier. The legendary French chef was known and respected worldwide for his innovative, imaginative dishes and ‘haute cuisine.’ During the late 1800s, Escoffier partnered with César Ritz (of Ritz Carlton fame), and made a name for himself as the head chef of the restaurants located inside the famous Ritz hotels. His food was known for being elaborate and fancy—what we might describe today as being “typically French.”


Auguste Escoffer
(photo source: Wikimedia Commons)

Avey goes on to say, “Nellie Melba often ate at Escoffier’s restaurants while performing in Covent Garden during the late 1890s and early 1900s. Escoffier claims to have first created the Peach Melba while Nellie was a guest at the Savoy Hotel, where he was chef. As the story goes, Nellie sent Escoffier tickets to her performance in the Wagner opera Lohengrin. The production featured a beautiful boat in the shape of a swan. The following evening, Escoffier presented Nellie with a dessert of fresh peaches served over vanilla ice cream in a silver dish perched atop a swan carved from ice. He originally called the dish Pecheau Cygne, or ‘peach with a swan.’ A few years later, when Escoffier opened the Ritz Carlton in London with César Ritz, he changed the dish slightly by adding a topping of sweetened raspberry purée. He renamed the dish Pêche Melba, or Peach Melba as we know it here in the U.S. The rest, as they say, is history.”

(Avey also mentions that the cracker called Melba toast was also named for our girl. Seems there was no end to the tasty nibbles she inspired. Maybe Melba toast, a classic staple of reducing diets, was designed to counteract the effects of eating too much Peach Melba!)

Here’s a translation of Escoffier’s original recipe for Peach Melba. I haven’t tried making it yet but it sounds heavenly, especially for summer (remember summer? sigh…) when peaches are abundant.

Original Recipe for La Pêche Melba (for 6)



Tori Avey also includes this more detailed modern version:


  • 6 ripe, tender peaches
  • Sugar
  • 1 ½ pints vanilla ice cream (fresh homemade is best)
  • 1 heaping cup fresh ripe raspberries
  • 1 heaping cup powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp blanched raw almond slivers (optional)



Yield: 6 servings

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