January 13th National Peach Melba day

donna

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Peach Melba was created for Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, a famous Australian opera singer by the famous French chef, Auguste Escoffier. The story goes that Miss Nellie, who was a friend of Escoffier, sent him tickets to the opera, Lohengrin, in which she was singing. 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 made of ice.

A few years later when Escoffier opened his restaurant at the Ritz Carlton in London, he added a raspberry puree to the peaches and named the dish the "Peche Melba", Peach Melba in English.

The history of the Peach Melba and Chef Escoffier's original recipe is at:

http://www.pbs.org/food/the-history...ier-and-peaches-the-story-behind-peach-melba/
 
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For some reason I am again having trouble with the site. The title is "Opera, Escoffier, and Peaches: The Story Behind the Peach Melba" by Tori Avey. There is the original recipe and some great pictures plus the history. Maybe someone can get the site to post for me. Thanks.
 
I forgot to mention she was known as Nellie Melba. Mitchell was her birth name. She was born on May 10, 1861 in Melbourne, Australia. She first sang in public in December 1869. She was only eight years old. She took the stage name Nellie Melba deriving Melba from her home town of Melbourne. Her operatic debut came in 1887 in Brussels. Over time, she became very famous and sang in all the principal opera houses in Europe and the United States. She also performed before many important figures of the time, including, Tsar Alexander III, Emperor Franz Joseph and Queen Victoria. It was in London that Nellie became acquainted with Chef Escoffier. He later created the Peach Melba for her and also Melba Toast, which is another story.
 
this thread makes me wonder why today would be chosen as Peach Melba Day, when fresh peaches and raspberries, although available in grocery stores at a premium price, are not in season. To me this is a summer dish. But then, I am usually out of step with the rest of the world.
 
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