GRILLED PEACH MELBA

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 4 Servings

Comment:
The Peach Melba was invented in 1892 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier to honor the Australian soprano, Nellie Melba. It combines two favorite summer fruits: peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream. The original recipe calls for poaching the peaches in the syrup, this version gives a summer flair to this classic dessert.

Ingredients:
4 medium peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut in half
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
1 vanilla bean, scraped, and reserve seeds
8 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
1 tbsp sugar
vanilla ice cream, for serving

Method:
Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. In a small saucepan, combine ¾ cup sugar, water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the seeds from the vanilla bean over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 1–2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the peaches to the syrup mixture, stirring lightly to coat well, then set aside. In a food processor, add raspberries, remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar and purée.  Pass the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a small bowl. Cover the raspberry sauce and refrigerate, discarding solids. Once the grill is hot, place the peaches over direct heat and grill for 3–4 minutes on each side or until tender. Remove from the heat and return to the syrup. Cover with aluminum foil and let stand for 5 minutes. To serve, place the ice cream into 4 bowls and top each bowl with 2 peach halves. Drizzle each bowl with the raspberry sauce and serve immediately.