Some fabulous fresh peaches and raspberries arrived by the back door with my daily vegetable delivery today; their smell is something rather special. OK, so I must admit that peaches here in the UK do not have the same flavour and scent as back home (in South Africa), but with the heat today, the fruits have ripened that bit quicker and they smell absolutely amazing.
Seeing the two together, I could not resist trying this classic combination for peaches and raspberries. It reminds me of the popular Peach Melba, where traditionally, poached peaches are served with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. This popular dessert was created by Escoffier in 1892 for the opera singer Nellie Melba. What a combination and what a triumph that after all these years we still use the flavour profile and refer to it, so it’s never gone out of fashion!
I have used the flavour combination to create a cordial that will be used in various drinks here at the British Larder. We will offer two versions, the first is a non-alcoholic posh pop served in a wine glass with plenty of ice and topped up with soda water to make a divine Peach Melba Spritzer (I think Nellie Melba would definitely approve!), and the other is our seasonal twist on a classic Tom Collins, called the Peach Melba Collins.
As the season is producing an abundance of superb seasonal fresh fruits I tend to get a bit carried away, buying more than I can actually use, and for that reason I freeze the raspberries and peaches (stoned and sliced) to prevent them from turning mouldy before I get to use them.
For this recipe, frozen raspberries will work just as well as fresh ones. The secret to the success of this recipe is that you must ensure the fruits are very ripe for maximum flavour impact.
This recipe does make quite a bit, so my top tip is to freeze it in smaller quantities so you can enjoy this delicious cordial for even longer.
