Peach Melba Tart combines the traditional ‘Melba’ ingredients of fresh peaches and raspberries, and bakes them in an all butter shortcrust pastry base. A scoop of vanilla ice cream compliments and completes this dish.
What is Peach Melba?
Peach Melba is a traditional dessert made with fresh peaches, drizzled with raspberry sauce and accompanied with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was the creation of famous French chef Auguste Escoffier (let the name dropping begin!) when he worked at the London Savoy Hotel in 1892. A well known singer stayed there when she performed at the Royal Opera House. He was asked to prepare a dessert for her that was not too heavy yet provided her with enough sustenance to see her through her performance. The result was Peach Melba, Melba being the surname of the well known soprano (Nellie Melba.)
This recipe takes this time honored dessert and serves in a pie, or to be more technically correct, tart form.
What’s the Difference Between a Tart and a Pie?
Generally, there are 3 differences between a tart and a pie:
- A tart only has a bottom layer of pastry, known as a pastry base, whereas a pie has the same bottom layer but an additional top layer of pastry enclosing the filling. The pie ‘lid’ can be solid or lattice style.
- The pastry base of a tart is thinner than the pastry base and lid of a pie.
- A tart is usually make in a fluted (wavy) pan with a removable bottom for easy presentation and cutting.
Ingredients for Peach Melba Tart
- Flour: all purpose (plain).
- Butter: salted.
- Salt.
- Peaches: fresh, preferably organic.
- Raspberries: fresh, preferably organic.
- Sugar: granulated.
- Cornstarch (Cornflour.)
- Lemon: fresh used only for juice.
What are the Best Peaches to use in a Pie?
Freestone peaches are a variety of peaches where the stone comes away freely from the flesh. Consequently this makes them easy to eat and easy to use as an ingredient. This freestone variety has dozens of different types of peaches, fortunately most supermarket peaches are freestone.
The white flesh peach is the sweetest peach grown. Likewise use this peach is you want a sweeter pie. Varieties of this peach include Babcock, Springtime, Tropic Snow, and Elegant Lady.
Instructional Video
Click on the video, complete with narration, for a quick recap how to make this Peach Melba Tart.
Instructions Step by Step for Peach Melba Tart
1) Add the flour and salt into a food processor or stand up mixer.
2) Then add cold butter.
3) Put the lid on and pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4) Add ice cold water, a few drops at a time through the feed chute of the food processor lid. Stop when it starts to form a ball.
5) Turn the ball of pastry onto a floured surface.
6) Roll out the pastry evenly until it is big enough to line the tart pan.
7) Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry onto the tart pan.
8) Gently guide pastry along the bottom and sides of the tart pan, then using a knife, trim away excess pastry.
9) Press pastry gently into the sides of the tart pan.
10) Place a piece of parchment paper into the tart pan, that exactly fits.
11) Pour in pie weights or dried beans or lentils. Place the tart in the oven to blind bake for 15 minutes.
12) Remove the tart from the oven. Remove the pie weights. Be careful they will be hot.
13) Peel away the parchment paper.
14) Wash and slice the peaches. Keep the peach on the board and allow the knife to hit the peach stone. Move the peach so that the knife has cut through to make a half.
15) Peel open each peach, remove the stone and cut the peach halves into slices.
16) Squeeze the half lemon into a bowl. Add the peach slices and toss to coat the peaches in lemon juice.
17) Add sugar to the bowl.
18) Add cornstarch.
19) Mix together gently using hands or spatula.
20) Arrange the slices on the pastry base.
21) Place tart in the oven. Remove from the oven after 30 minutes when the peaches are halfway done.
22) Add fresh raspberries evenly over the top of the peaches, and return to the oven.
23) Remove the Peach Melba Tart after 25 additional minutes.
24) Use a brush to distribute the fruit juices that puddle in the grooves, over the surface of the tart.
How Do You Keep a Peach Pie From Being Runny?
There are 4 steps you can take to ensure a peach pie or tart will not end up being a soggy mess!
- Blind bake (pre bake) the pastry crust. Steps 10-13 above show you how to do this. Blind baking the pastry without the filling will cook the pastry base. A cooked pastry base is more impervious (isn’t that a big word!) to fruit juices or weeping custard fillings.
- Toss peaches or other juicy fruits in cornstarch. This will immediately thicken any juice that escapes the fruit during baking.
- Do not add a pastry top to the pie. However if you really want to have a ‘lid’ on your peach pie, then add a lattice pastry top
- Fruit juice will pool in nooks and crannies as the tart bakes. Distribute this thickened juice to the surface of the tart to act like a glaze. See step 24.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy
Banoffee Pie is a delightful combination of banana, toffee, and whipped cream on a cookie crust.
Strawberry Sponge Cake is a classic Victoria Sponge filled with Strawberry preserve and whipped cream. A gentle dusting of powder sugar completes this delicious sweet treat.
Got Questions?
I’ve got answers – hopefully!
Take the 3 basic ingredients in Peach Melba – peaches, raspberries and vanilla ice cream and present them in different ways and in different forms. Examples include Peach Melba ice cream where peach, raspberry and vanilla all combine into an ice cream or popsicles, or Peach Melba cake, cheesecake or scones or even Peach Melba yogurt. It can even show up as a cocktail! There are endless combinations with these 3 complimentary flavors.
January 13th every year is Peach Melba Day.
Peach Melba, as a dessert, was popular around the mid century. Many restaurants in the States featured Peach Melba on their dessert menus around the 1950’s. Growing up in Ireland, Peach Melba was all the rage in the 70’s, as a child it was the first thing my eyes would see on a dessert menu. Then I deemed if the restaurant was good or not!
Peach Melba Tart
Ingredients
- 4 oz salted butter cold
- 8 oz all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 fresh peaches medium OR 3 large peaches
- 4 oz granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice the juice from about half a small lemon.
- 6 oz raspberries
Instructions
- Add the flour and salt into a food processor or stand up mixer, then add cold butter.
- Put the lid on and pulse until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Add ice cold water, a few drops at a time through the feed chute of the food processor lid. Stop when it starts to form a ball.
- Turn the ball of pastry onto a floured surface. Roll out the pastry evenly until it is big enough to line the tart pan.
- Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry onto the tart pan and gently guide the pastry along the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Trim away excess pastry.
- Press pastry gently into the sides of the tart pan and place a piece of parchment paper that fits exactly, on top.
- Pour in pie weights or dried beans or lentils. Place the tart in the oven to blind bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the tart from the oven. Remove the pie weights. Peel away the parchment paper.
- Wash and slice the peaches. Keep the peach on the board and allow the knife to hit the peach stone. Move the peach so that the knife has cut through to make a half.
- Peel open each peach, remove the stone and cut the peach halves into slices.
- Squeeze the half lemon into a bowl. Add the peach slices and toss to coat the peaches in lemon juice.
- Add sugar to the bowl then the cornstarch and mix together using hands or a spatula.
- Arrange the slices on the pastry base.
- Place tart in the oven. Remove from the oven after 30 minutes when the peaches are halfway done.
- Add fresh raspberries evenly over the top of the peaches, and return to the oven.
- Remove the Peach Melba Tart after 25 additional minutes.
- Use a brush to distribute the fruit juices that puddle in the grooves, over the surface of the tart.
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