Raspberry Ricotta Ice Cream Pie with Anise Poached Peaches

Do you ever inexplicably know the name of something but actually know nothing about it? You’re not sure where you first heard it or really what it is, but you know the name. Yeah, this happens to me on the regular and most recently it happened with a dish called Peach Melba. While researching poached peaches, which is a totally normal pastime, I came across a recipe called “Peach Melba”. Well, the name tickled my brain enough that I had to look it up and low and behold it was a simple dish with an illustrious history – my favorite. I was so taken with my Google odyssey that today’s Raspberry Ricotta Ice Cream Pie with Anise Poached Peaches is very much inspired by Peach Melba. So without further ado let’s tear into the history of the dish and, of course, this ice cream pie.

For those of you who don’t know what Peach Melba is, don’t feel bad, I once was like you…like, five days ago. Peach Melba is a dessert made up of poached peaches, raspberry sauce, and vanilla ice cream. It was created in 1892 or 1893 by a French chef named Auguste Escoffier. This is where things got interesting for me. You know, when you first learn about a person and you start to see their name everywhere? Yeah, that’s what happened with this dude.

I’m sure it’s been disclosed elsewhere on this blog that I am a podcast nut. And one of my very favorite podcasts it Gastropod. It’s nerdy in all the right ways and if you are too, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Start with the sourdough episode and make peace with the fact that you now have a new obsession. Anyway, the other day I was listening to the episode they did on cookbooks. I was so taken by the subject of the popularization of food and food preparation, that my bf referred me an episode of another podcast called The Stuff You Missed in History Class about the first “celebrity chef” Marie-Antoine Carême and whose name should come up but Auguste Escoffier.

Apparently, Auguste Escoffier was a prolific culinary writer who expanded and standardized the French method of cooking haute cuisine that Marie-Antoine Carême pioneered. Escoffier was the preeminent chef of the early 20th century and was referred to as “the king of chefs and chef of kings.” He standardized the five mother sauces and if that’s not a big deal I don’t know what is. He also invented Peach Melba, which, in case you’ve lost the plot, is the reason we’re talking about him. I realize we took the long-winded route, but hey, at least you got some podcast recommendations out of it.

I can’t really explain why I was so taken by the story behind Peach Melba but I was and continue to be. The dish was created for the Savoy Hotel in London in honor of the Austrailian soprano Nellie Melba. Melba was in town performing Wagner at Covent Garden and it seems it was a pretty big deal. The dish was originally served in an ice sculpture of a swan…Just let that sink in for a moment. When was the last time you did something that warranted an ice swan?

I think the thing I like about the dish is it feels like a snapshot. A very specific window into a time I will never know and, let’s face it, a level of society I will never know. There’s also something simultaneously immortal and ephemeral about Peach Melba. I doubt most people know the Austrailian soprano Nellie Melba, but at one time she was a big enough deal for a hotel to name a dessert after her. And while she has since faded from our pop-cultural memory, her name lives on because it’s attached to a dessert. I don’t really have an awe-inspiring take away from all this, I just think it’s kind of nifty.

Anyway, that’s Peach Melba, but let’s talk about this Raspberry Ricotta Ice Cream Pie with Anise Poached Peaches. Well, I’m sure the peach, raspberry and ice cream aspects make a lot of sense to you; they are Peach Melba classics. But the ricotta and the pie? Well, that’s new.

Honestly, I added the ricotta to the ice cream because I didn’t want to give you a recipe for straight vanilla because, hey, I already did that. I also wanted the ice cream to take on a sort of cheesecake-quality in terms of richness. And trust me when I say the ricotta’s subtle umami really elevates the creamy vanilla classic.

You may have noticed that this Raspberry Ricotta Ice Cream Pie is without raspberry sauce. While I realize raspberry sauce is a key feature of Peach Melba, I thought fresh raspberries would be more appropriate during this time of year. It is raspberry season after all. Plus, fresh raspberries have a pleasant tart quality. And that tartness is the reason they’re my favorite berry. I mean, I don’t like to play favorites, particularly when it comes to berries, but I have to live my truth.

The pie aspect of this Raspberry Ricotta Ice Cream Pie came into play because I was fresh out of swan ice sculptures and a cookie-crumb crust seemed to be as good a vessel as any. The crust also allowed me to introduce another Italian ingredient to compliment the ricotta: ladyfingers. And you know what’s crazy? When I picked up a box of the cookies I realized I’d only ever used them in tiramisu. I need to make a Charlotte or something stat, that is just unacceptable. They are a good cookie and they deserved to be used for more than espresso sponges. Although, they are really good at that.

That’s the skinny on this Raspberry Ricotta Ice Cream Pie. It takes a little forethought and a little work, but all-in-all it’s a dessert that’s well worth effort. So, dive in and carve yourself a slice of history. Ugh! I’m sorry.

Enjoy!

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