Peach Melba

The perfect addition to a lunch al fresco or an evening entertaining. A flavourful way to transform all those summer peaches which grow from June to September into a fresh and vibrant pudding. One for the last dregs of summer sun in September, for entertaining or dining al fresco.

Recipe included in Bunny Guinness’s column in The Sunday Telegraph.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 6 peaches, halved and stoned

• 11 good quality vanilla ice cream to serve

FOR THE PEACHING SYRUP

• A bottle of dry white wine (75cl)

• 750ml water

• 500g caster sugar

• 1 vanilla pod (or a couple of drops of essence if you don’t have a pod)

• The peel from 1 unwaxed lemon – I use a potato peeler (keep the lemon flesh for something else)

• 1 bay leaf

Put all the ingredients for the poaching syrup into a medium sized pot and bring up to a gentle simmer. Gently, drop your peaches in, put a round of greaseproof paper on top, as well as a lid and cook for about 4 minutes on a very low simmer. They should be soft to the touch of a paring knife’s tip, still holding their shape (if not, cook a little longer but keep testing). Take them off the heat and let them cool in the liquor.

For the raspberry purée

• 2 punnets of raspberries (approx. 250g)

• 75g icing sugar

Blend together and sieve.

Once the peaches are cool, gently peel the skin away from the each one, and halve, removing the stone. Depending on how hungry you are, used half or a full peach in each bowl… add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and spoon a little raspberry purée over the top and serve.

You can use the syrup for future poached peaches or for cocktails, with sparkling wine or as a cordial. It’ll keep for at least 3 weeks in a sealed bottle in the fridge (discard the vanilla pod and bay leaf). Any extra peaches are delicious for breakfast!