Grilled Peach Melba
Summer is the time for lighter desserts. Grilled fruit is an excellent, healthier option. I tossed some peach halves on the barbecue and made a marvelous Grilled Peach Melba.
This Peach Melba Recipe has a simple twist! The peaches are grilled which makes them even sweeter as the sugars concentrate during the process. Totally irresistible with ice cream and raspberry sauce.
Grilled Peach Melba
Have you heard of a peach melba? It’s an old-fashioned dessert with poached peaches, raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream. Named after Nellie Melba, an Australian opera singer. Famed French chef Escoffier claims to have first created the Peach Melba in her honor while Nellie was a guest at the Savoy Hotel in London.
Peaches, raspberries, and ice cream??? How could this be anything but fabulous??? Plus, the extra step of tossing the fruit on the BBQ, makes this grilled peach melba recipe even more terrific than the original!
Expert Tips
- It’s best to make this dessert during peach season. Your peaches should be fragrant, have a slight “give” when squeezed, and are yellow to peach colored without areas of green.
- You may use fresh or frozen raspberries to make the sauce.
- Or if you are in a hurry, warm some raspberry jam to use as your sauce.
- Split open a vanilla bean and add it to your poaching liquid for a boost of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
This dessert was created for a popular Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, in the late 1800s by the French chef, Escoffier. He named it after her.
A peach Melba is made of two peach halves poached in a sugar syrup, chilled, then topped with vanilla ice cream, then a “Melba” or raspberry sauce. Whipped cream and sliced almonds are optional additions.
Melba sauce is made of puréed, strained fresh raspberries, red currant jelly, sugar, and cornstarch. My version is made of raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, and Chambord, a raspberry liqueur.
Grilling helps to caramelize the natural sugars in fruit, making it more flavorful.
Grill the fruit over indirect heat to prevent burning. On a charcoal grill, pile the charcoal on one side and place the fruit on the other side to cook. On a gas grill, grill over medium heat. A grill pan on your stovetop is another option.
Serve the peach halves whole or sliced and place them in a stemmed glass over ice cream with some luscious raspberry sauce.
Grilled Menu Suggestions
Main Course
- Grilled Flank Steak and Asparagus with BÈarnaise Butter from Creative Culinary
- Grilled Brazilian Rub Salmon from Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Vegetables/Side Dishes
- Grilled Fattoush Salad with Chickpeas-Sweet Peppers Naan from The Wimpy Vegetarian
- Grilled Belgian Endive from Mother Would Know
Desserts
- Buttermilk Pannacotta with Grilled Mango Sorbet from Spice Roots
- Grilled Buttermilk Pound Cake with Peaches and Mascarpone from The Red Head Baker
- Smoked Caramel Pineapple Ice Cream (No Churn) from Pastry Chef Online
This is a simple way to make an elegant dessert when you’re grilling dinner anyway! Add this Peach Melba Recipe to your summer menu as soon as you can get your hands on some juicy, ripe peaches.
Grilled Peach Melba
A twist on the classic Peach Melba made with grilled peaches.
Ingredients
- 6 peaches (medium ripe, slightly firm)
- Lemon or lime juice
- 10 ounces frozen raspberries
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with a tablespoon or so of water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Chambord, optional
- Vanilla ice cream
- Fresh raspberries, optional
Instructions
- Cut an X in the bottom of each peach, just through the skin. Boil a pot of water, then drop the peaches in for 30-60 seconds.
- Place peaches in a bowl of ice water.
- Once you can handle the peaches, peel off the skin, cut in half, remove the pit and rub with lemon or lime juice. Set aside.
- Make the raspberry sauce by adding the frozen raspberries, cornstarch slurry, and sugar to a medium saucepan.
- Cook the raspberries until the sugar dissolves and the sauce boils and thickens slightly. Add Chambord to taste, if desired.
- Cool, then strain through a wire sieve to remove seeds.
- Preheat the grill and grill the peaches on a lightly oiled grill, for 2-3 minutes per side.
- Serve one or two peach halves or sliced peaches with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce, and fresh raspberries if desired.
Notes
For a more traditional Peach Melba, poach your peaches in a simple sugar syrup instead of grilling.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 209Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 19mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 6gSugar: 35gProtein: 3g
21 Comments on “Grilled Peach Melba”
Elegance on the grill! What a perfect way to shake up this classic and make it even better!
Grilling the peaches for peach melba improves on a dish that is pretty darn good to begin with. I love the caramelizing effect that grilling gives to fruit. and who can argue with raspberries, ice cream and a bit of liqueur?:) Not me!
This is an impressive dessert with minimal effort and summer is the perfect time of year for it.
What a great twist on a truly amazing classic 🙂
Love food history! And love to take a bite of those Carmelites peaches:)
I’m all about anything peach right now, especially if it involved ice cream. I love broiling peaches for a super easy clean up. They don’t have pretty marks, but they have awesome and intense flavor.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a peach melba, but I have had grilled peaches. Looks like a delicious dessert that you made even better with a touch of chambord.
Delicious classic!
I am so much in love with this summer dessert. Love anything peaches and this grilled Peach Melbas look fantastic. Wish I could taste this! Lovely share, Liz.
I just made grilled peaches last week and used mascarpone and a drizzle of honey and black pepper! Now I can’t wait to try this version. It is such a perfect light dessert for summer!
I haven’t had peach melba in forever! I mean decades. It used to be pretty popular back in the 70s and 80s, but I don’t remember the last time I saw it on the menu. And I’ve never seen it grilled — what a fabulous idea! Perfect way to make this dish. Thanks!
I love the idea of grilled peach melba – grilled fruits are perfect for summer desserts. Beautiful Liz!
How much do I love this? THIS MUCH! I have always loved this flavor combination but the grilling would be an awesome addition Liz!
Oh Liz, I love, love, love that you make Grilled Peach Melba this month! One of my favorite old-fashioned desserts, and one we rarely see anymore. Absolutely stunning and a delightful way to celebrate summer fresh fruits! Yippee! And thank you so much for your kind shout-out about my book – I really appreciate your thoughtfulness!
Chambord is never optional! LOL What a gorgeous spin on a classic, Liz! Love it!
Even though we just finished lunch, I am licking my lips looking at all the gorgeous pics of this very beautiful dessert. I will definitely bookmark it for the weekend my cousin and her family comes up to the cottage, we can use the last embers from the charcoal grill, plus it is light enough after a heavy dinner of BBQ ribs and chicken!
Liz, thanks for this wonderful and stunning recipe. I have a huge peach share arriving and this will be a nice way to use them.
Well I must be an old fashioned girl, Liz, because I have to tell you that peach melba was the first “dessert at a fancy restaurant” that I ever tried and I loved it!!! I love the combo of sweet and tart fruits and grilling those peaches can only make it that much better! Thanks for putting a modern twist on one of my favorite desserts! 🙂
I’ve never grilled peaches or had Melba – so I’ll be in for a treat when I try this 🙂
Liz, this is a visually stunning dessert – bright, summery colors. And the idea of adding a new twist to Peach Melba is wonderful – placing delicious peaches on the bbq will certainly bring our their natural sugars and add a wonderful new taste to this dessert!