The History Of The Melba - Crystals, Opera And Sweetness

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

It is one of the most delicious desserts in the world and is present in the menu of almost every restaurant. The good news is that according to experts, the consumption of ice cream loses its seasonal character and you should not surprise anyone if you want melba and in the greatest cold.

You know that it will reward you with sweetness - both tender and so strong that it will make the palate tingle with taste.

And did you know that the creator of the melba is one of the greatest chefs of the late 19th and early 20th century? And that the perfect dessert was named after Nelly Melba, a famous Australian opera singer at the time?

And before his sweet discovery Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) was defined as the king of cooks and the cook of kings. He is also considered the father of modern cuisine, less heavy than sauces and rediscovering the taste of original products. In the kitchens of the Ritz in Paris and the Grand Hôtel in Monaco, he offered the first menus at fixed prices. Escoffier was one of the first authors of culinary advice, and his books are still studied today by the great chefs in the kitchen.

The history of melba began in 1894 when he worked at the Hotel Savoy. The great Australian opera singer Nelly Melba (her stage name came from her hometown of Melbourne) often stayed there during her tour in London. Knowing about Escoffier and respecting his person, one day she sent him an invitation to the opera Lohengrin, in which she participated.

As a token of gratitude, Escoffier decided to create a recipe in her honor. Inspired by the swan, which appears in the first act of the opera, he served peaches on a bed of vanilla ice cream and raspberry puree. He then placed them in a silver vessel encrusted between the wings of a swan, carved into an ice block and covered in a veil of sugar! And so he met the opera star at the table.

Of course, it is not enough to say that everyone was fascinated, and the newspapers covered the work as a real celebrity.

As it became clear in the beginning, one of the great merits of Escoffier in cooking is the disappearance of everything superfluous in favor of the simple taste of food. That's why his first melby were with peaches dipped in vanilla syrup, raspberry puree and vanilla ice cream. That was all. There were no almonds, cookies or creams.

Of course, it is not forbidden to try melba with other fruits. Pears, for example, fit this recipe perfectly.

And here are the memories of Escoffier himself about the birth of the melba:

Mrs. Nelly Melba, a great Australian opera singer, sang at Covent Garden in London with Jan de Reschke in 1894. She was staying at the Hotel Savoy, near Covent Garden, at the time I was in charge of the kitchen at this important location. One evening, when Lohengrin was introduced, Mrs. Melba offered me two tickets. It is known that a swan appeared in this opera. Madame Melba gave a small reception the next day for her relatives, including the Earl of Orleans. And to show her that I was very pleased to take advantage of the tickets she generously gave me, I carved a beautiful swan into an ice block and placed a silver cup between its two wings. I covered the bottom with vanilla ice cream and placed peaches on it, light and tender, dipped in vanilla syrup for a few minutes and then chilled. Fresh raspberry puree completely covered the peaches. A light veil of sugar covered everything.

But it was not until 1899, when the Carlton Hotel opened in London, that the melba gained its popularity. Today it is the easiest dessert to prepare: it is enough to cover the bottom of a crystal bowl with vanilla ice cream, put on top peaches with white flesh, soaked for a few minutes in a very light vanilla syrup and peeled. Then hide the peaches under raspberry puree and add sugar.