It’s the 100th French Fridays with Dorie: Peach Melba

One. Hundred. Recipes. One Hundred. Weeks. Of cooking with Dorie Greenspan. Well cooking through Around my French Table with an amazing group of bloggers.  I mean, I always looked forward to Fridays but this group makes them even better. I love reading everyone’s posts on Friday mornings and even if I don’t always get around to commenting on everyone’s posts, I certainly read a fair few of them. It’s the blogging group that has captured my attention the most over the past 3.5 years – maybe because Dorie is such a cheerleader herself. Or maybe because everyone is so supportive. Or maybe because the book is so darned awesome.

For whatever reason, I have stuck by this through thick and thin and have completed EVERY SINGLE ONE of the 100 recipes so far! I can’t quite believe it! (Thanks to Rose who endeared me to her even more by sharing her FFWD spreadsheet with me so that I could actually check that I had made all 100 before declaring this! Ya gotta love a good spreadsheet!). A couple of times I have posted late (I think because I was in hospital one time and another because it coincided with a Charcutepalooza posting date) and a couple of times I have sat in my sick bed and told people what to do just so I could make the posting deadline but I have made every one of them. Through travels and ill health, Dorie has stuck by me, like a constant companion.  Many of my friends have bought the book because of Dorie meals they’ve eaten at our house. My mum owns the book. And Dorie’s recipes, unlike so many from the many many cookbooks I own, are, so often, keepers. Repeat dishes. Which, in our house, says a lot.  In short, bref, thanks Dorie – it’s been an amazing 100 weeks and I can’t wait for the next 200 or so more!

Ok, enough GROUP HUGGING. Onto this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe – Peach Melba (p 477-478).  Created by Auguste Escoffier in 1892 when he was running the kitchens at The Savoy in London for the Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba this is the fanciest of sundaes.  I was excited to have something to do with the beautiful Ontario peaches I found on our high street this past week…

The peaches are prepared by quickly blanching them to remove the skin, then poached in a mixture of water, sugar, creme de Cassis, lemon zest and juice and vanilla…

Then served with a little of the poaching syrup, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a little whipped cream (or in my case, I used Greek yoghurt), fresh raspberries and some raspberry (and in my case, strawberry) coulis.  I didn’t have any of the flaked almonds Dorie called for so I put in some fresh mint for colour…

I really enjoyed this and it made me wonder why I don’t poach fruit more often. As I was looking at the liquor cabinet that soon will need emptying so that we can move it into a different room, I figured I could play with all sorts of flavours from some of the dregs of liquor bottles I know we have lurking in the back of that cupboard too. The crème de Cassis in this was wonderful!

Of course, as ice-creamy desserts are wont to do on a hot day when you are photographing them in the heat, these two melted and I just couldn’t bear to either serve the melty mess to Neil as it was or throw them away so I tossed the two serves in a Tupperware and put them in the fridge until the next day when I had a brainwave…

Could it be….

YEAH. Peach Melba creamsicles. I am SURE Dorie would approve!!! (It also worked nicely in with this week’s Gastropost mission – Food on a Stick.) I’m also submitting these creamsicles to the monthly Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream challenge over on Kavey Eats.


French Fridays with Dorie participants do not publish the recipes on our blogs (though you are in luck this week – you can find a version of the recipe here!), rather, we prefer if you purchase Around My French Table for yourselves (trust me, you definitely want this book!) which you can do here on Amazon or Amazon Canada. Or for free worldwide shipping, buy from The Book Depository. Go on, treat yourself – join us! Honestly, the recipes that I didn’t like I can count on one hand.

51 thoughts on “It’s the 100th French Fridays with Dorie: Peach Melba”

  1. Pingback: FFWD – Peach Melba, or Our 100th Recipe | One Wet Foot
  2. I see you made good on your promise to include a group hug in your post! 🙂 I also think your creamsicles are brilliant.

    I’m so impressed that you’ve completed every recipe! I’m hoping to catch up on them all eventually, but it’s not the same. I agree that it’s a great community and I’m very glad to be a part of it.

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  3. Oooooh – must try the creamsicle as the temps soar again this weekend: thanks Mard, forgot you left them in there for me!

    One hundred. That is astonishing. Objectively, I have to say the hit rate runs a good 85%-90%. Maybe only 3-5 duds. And the few otehrs “okay”. That’s mightily impressive.

    As for my drinks cabinet, try and do something with that bloody great litre of Creme de Menthe purchased for some candy-cane thingy…of which that same three tablespoons is used, nothing since! 😉

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  4. Wow, one hundred recipes! 100 posts! Go, Mardi! Love the sound of your peach melba creamsicles and I look forward to continuing to follow your Dorie (and other) cooking adventures!

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  5. Woot! Congrats for being the reigning Empress of the Doristas 🙂
    Beautiful dessert & I would love one of those creamsicles – for breakfast.
    It’s been a treat getting to know you.

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  6. Congratulations on completing 100 FFWD posts Mardi. That is wonderful, just as the post have been. Beautiful photographs of this peach melba and a truly refreshing idea to freeze them into popsicles.

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  7. Congrats on completing every recipe…You are the WOMAN!! Your peach melba looks luscious and I would love one of your creamsicles!

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  8. Congratulations on 100 posts with FFWD! Although I haven’t come close to the 100 mark, I find Around My French Table to be a deliciously inspiring collection of recipes that I hope to complete one day… This peach melba recipe was a definite winner, I love your popsicles, great idea! I think I will have a poached peach for breakfast with Greek Yogurt spooned on top;-)

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  9. Lovely post Mardi. The finished cups look wonderful, with that green addition. Congratulations on your 100 recipes! The creamsicles are a super idea and your pics are just wonderful!

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  10. Why you are welcome, I am always happy to find a spreadsheet kindred spirit and I’m happy I could help.

    And may I just say, well done! Getting through all 100 takes some dedication and an admirable sense of adventure.

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  11. Congratulations on making all 100…wow! That’s so impressive. Your Peach Melba looks stunning, absolutely stunning. Love the idea of tossing some mint on the top, will make a note of that in my book for next time, thanks!

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  12. Congratulations, Mardi! This has been a fun journey. I’ve learned so much! Looking forward to carrying on! Your photos are lovely & so are your popsicles! Have a great weekend.

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  13. I am glad Cher dubbed you an Empress, Mardi, because that’s even better than a Queen (and, since you’re Canadian, you already have a Queen). I am quite, quite impressed that you’ve done the big 100. Quite a culinary feat. That’s encouraged me to not only make up for what I haven’t made before joining in May 2011 but also going back and making those damn Sardine Rillettes. I went rogue and just refused to make those. Good sport that I am…………..I’ll return to page 25 and do-bone sardines!!!!! You are right and thank you for reminding us that this is such a good cookbook and the recipes are so well explained that it’s difficult to not want to try it all. Of course every recipe is not going to be to our liking but they all are worth one time, aren’t they? Your Peach Melba looks delicious – what’s not to love about this dessert. But those creamsicles, wowsie. Again, congratulations for your Century-achievement.

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  14. Congratulations for hitting the 100 mark. This has been a wonderful experience for both Tricia and myself, to think when she first told me about joining I was not too interested. It has been
    such fun, and I enjoy reading and “meeting” all the Doristas. Your peach melba turned out great, but those popsicles were such a good idea. Have a great weekend.

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  15. OMG. I just cant believe it! Stuck through it, all the thick and thin and such…!! Great job! your popsicles went over well Im sure and if they were unappreciated at all then you can send them over here! LOL!!

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  16. Congratulations on making all 100 of the recipes, Mardi! Your fortitude is impressive. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you through your posts for these 100 weeks. That said, wasn’t this a great dessert? It’s my new favorite. And I love your creamsicles. Here’s to the next 100.

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  17. Your creamsicles idea is brilliant! I can’t believe I haven’t made popsicles yet, and the summer is almost over. I am so jealous of yours. Congratulations on making all 100 recipes! Quite an accomplishment.

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  18. Oh…….and Tami has the book too 🙂

    As for the Creme de Menthe – the hot Chocolate Grasshoppers I recently discovered could well and truly take care of THAT bottle!!!!

    Keep up the FFWD posts Mardi as I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your exploits from the book (more than I can say for myself).

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  19. I still miss my French Fridays group. I am happy I finally made this one, it was delicious. Like you I don’t know why I haven’t been poaching peaches. We loved the ice cream too.

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