Peach Melba

ingredients
1 quart, plus ½ cup water
3 pounds, plus 5 ounces sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out
1 2-inch piece lemon peel, outer part only
10 Palisade peaches
½ gallon vanilla bean ice cream
4 half-pint containers fresh raspberries
½ cup sugar

Peach Melba (Continued)

procedures
Combine the water and first measure of sugar in a saucepan and place over
high heat. Stir mixture until sugar has completely dissolved. Add the
vanilla bean and lemon peel and bring to a boil.

While the syrup is heating, set up a second pan of water to boil and an
ice-water bath. Blanch and shock the peaches, split them and remove the
pits. Transfer peaches to a shallow pan. Pour the boiling syrup over the
peaches and let set at room temperature until cool. Cover and place in
the refrigerator.

Allow the ice cream to soften, then scoop it into Champagne flutes or
dessert cups. Flatten the ice cream into the bottom of the glasses with a
rubber spatula and place glasses in the freezer.

Peach Melba (Continued)

Puree raspberries in a food processor and strain through a fine-mesh
sieve to remove the seeds, pressing to extract all the puree. Stir in the
½ cup of sugar to taste, adding more if needed. Keep the raspberry puree
refrigerated for up to one week.

To serve, bring a dish of ice cream out of the freezer to soften
slightly, drain a peach half very well and place it cut side down on the
ice cream. Ladle 1 ounce of raspberry puree over the peach and serve
immediately.

notes
Makes 20 servings. The syrup can be reheated and used again to poach
peaches or other fruit until the quality deteriorates.