Origin of Melba Toast and Peach Melba Dessert
Melba Toast Served with Shrimp Spread
It is very interesting, we learn sometimes about famous people and history through the recipes. The Melba name to recipes was given by very famous at his epocha French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier. He starts working in kitchens as a boy at age 13 at his uncle’s restaurant in France. And his skills, talent, and passion brought him to a great career. He was the head chef of the very famous for rich clients Hotel the Ritz in London, England at the end of his career. Very creative and talented chef. Autor of cooking books, what you can find on the market by modern days. He served food to imperators and the elite of society in London, England, and left his trail in the cooking World for generations. I have to say, Melba dishes, are named after someone something unusual for chef Escoffier. I have The Escoffier cookbook “A guide to the fine art of cookery” (1969) and found so many desserts named the same way after someone. For example, Helen Pears, Wilhelmina Strawberries, Pineapple Georgette, and more. However, on this page, I am going to talk about the most famous fancy toast in the world – toast Melba.
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Georges Auguste Escoffier, 1861-1931
Source Library of Congress © Public Domain
Chef named the recipes in honor of the famous and iconic Australian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. Her real name was Helen Porter Mitchell. She took the pseudonym from her hometown Melbourne. She performed in London and often time eats at a hotel restaurant. Nellie Melba is on the front of a 100 Australian dollar bill and is well known in Australia to this day. However, Melba toast and Melba dessert are only seen at French restaurants according to people from Australia, I was asking about. You can find the performance of Nellie Melba on YouTube.
Dame Nellie Melba 1861-1931
Source Library of Congress © Public Domain
What is Melba Toast
Melba Toast Served with Shrimp Spread
Melba toast is very thin twice toasted bread. Chef Escoffier invented the technique to make this amazing toast. Miss Nellie Melba was watching her weight and he found the solution to serve the same size of toast but very thin. Very simple and clever! If we use cookie cutters, we can make so many fun designs for cute and fancy toasts. I served Melba toast in the shape of fish with cream cheese and shrimp spread.
Check out the New Orleans recipe ⇒ Cream Cheese Shrimp Spread Recipe
Melba Toast in the Shape of Fish With Cream Cheese Shrimp Spread
I live in the USA and every person I spoke knows what Melba toast is but not every person knows the history behind it. So I made the page to share the story behind Melba toast. We have available Melba toast at stores and the price range from $2.00 to $4.00.
The Photo was taken in Louisiana, the USA. September 2017
I have to say, making Melba toast takes more time than just making toast but it is worth it! A great way to surprise for breakfast someone special or impress your family, or friends, or just toast for yourself.
Melba Toast
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How to Garnish Melba Toast
We can garnish Melba toast with a different color of a bread. Like example, I added flowers from pumpernickel bread and contrast of colors brinks so much fun to plate! Not much effort but simple breakfast dressed to impressed.
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My Melba Toast Secret
My husband never agreed to have less than 1 slice of bread for breakfast. I learned his preferences for many years and here is my secret to serving one slice of bread with less bread on the plate and even looks more than one slice. So far no complaints from my husband. He probably thinks holes I made for fancy looks but really it is to serve less bread for him. In the photo below fancy Melba toast is made out of one slice of toast bread. Thank you, chef Escoffier, for the great technique!
Fancy Melba Toast. I use a corer to make holes.
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I love Melba toasts for breakfast!
Melba Toast with Egg Baked in Avacado
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How to Make Melba Toast
To make Melba toast we need bread without large seeds in it and a bread knife or any sharp knife with a narrow blade (a fillet knife works great too). The technique is so easy and I am sure you are going to use it in the future if didn’t know before. It is really great way how to serve toast fancy!
- Make a toast from fine-grained bread. Cut off crisps.
∗To make fun shapes from bread, I use cookie cutters to cut shapes instead of cut the crisps.
2. Cut the toast in half horizontally.
3. This step makes your toast just perfect and smooth! Rub the toast against the cutting board on the not toasted side by it will be desirably smooth.
4. I like to cut in half in a triangle shape.
5. Toast again until delicately brown.
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What is Peach Melba Dessert
Peach Melba Dessert
The Melba dessert is so simple to make at home kitchen. Cooked peach in heavy sugar syrup served with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. Originally at the restaurant served in a dish on a swan carved from ice, what the chef Escoffier calls “Peach Swan”. Swan was related to the performance Nellie Melba on the stage. One of particular scene Miss Melba was floating across the stage on top of a swan. It inspired the chef to create this presentation and dessert. Peach Melba not only dessert named after Melba, in my The Escoffier cookbook “A guide to the fine art of cookery” (1969) I found also Melba Pears and Melba Strawberry desserts.
Link to the recipe ⇒ Peach Melba Dessert Recipe
Peach Melba Dessert
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@Galainthekitchen.com
@Galainthekitchen.com
Wonderful story!! Do you have others? Look forward to more! Cheers!
Maria, Thank you so much for your comments! It is very important to me. I working on story origin of Beef Stroganoff page and some others. I am going to share beef stroganoff recipe 1909 too. I always like to read about cooking and try new recipes and now I have my website to share what I really like. Thank you again! Gala