Recipe: Peach melba

THIS much abused recipe is one of the most delicious desserts of summer when made with best quality home-made ice cream, sugared peaches or nectarines and a fresh raspberry sauce.

Quite unlike the travesty which often is served as Peach Melba, consisting of mass-produced ice cream and canned peaches smothered in a sauce made from thinned out jam, and perhaps a bit of chocolate flake on top for extra excitement!

Serve each guest some vanilla ice-cream and sugared peaches with a little fresh raspberry sauce poured over the top.

Sugared peaches or nectarines

Serves 8

8 perfect ripe peaches

Castor sugar

Juice of 1-2 lemons

Put the peaches or nectarines into a deep bowl, cover them with boiling water, pour off the water and drop into iced water, peel immediately, slice into 5mm (1/4inch) slices removing the stone. Put into a bowl and sprinkle with castor sugar and lemon juice to toss.

Ballymaloe vanilla ice-cream

Serves 6-8

The Ballymaloe ice-creams are made on an egg mousse base with softly-whipped cream and flavourings added. Ice-creams made in this way have a smooth texture and do not need further whisking during the freezing period.

They should not be served frozen hard. Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving.

50g (2oz) sugar

100ml (4fl oz) water

2 egg yolks, preferably free-range and organic

2 tsp pure vanilla essence

600ml (1pint) softly whipped cream

Put the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy (keep the whites for meringues). Combine the sugar and water in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir over heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove the spoon and boil the syrup until it reaches the ‘thread’ stage.

It will look thick and syrupy; when a metal spoon is dipped in, the last drops of syrup will form thin threads. Pour this boiling syrup in a steady stream onto the egg yolks, whisking all the time.

Add vanilla essence and continue to whisk until it becomes a thick creamy white mousse. Fold the softly-whipped cream into the mousse, pour into a bowl, cover and freeze.

Raspberry coulis

8 ozs (225 g) raspberries

3-6 tbsp sugar

8 tbsp water

Lemon juice — optional

Make a syrup with sugar and water, cool and add to the raspberries. Liquidise and sieve, taste, sharpen with lemon juice if necessary. Store in a fridge.