Peach Melba Parfaits – Fresh + Festive
Nothing screams summer more than ripe peaches + fresh raspberries
dancing together in smooth cold set cheesecake. Every year for the past 20 years or so, we catch up with a group of friends on Boxing Day. It’s always at Maggies house.She possess a calmness in the way she entertains. She has one request from all of us- “no fussing on this day!”
Having travelled to Italy
She bases her dishes around the easy way of life on the Amalfi coast – think chunky burrata with home grown tomatoes.Freshly torn basil straight from the garden then served with sourdough bread on the side.
Platters full of seafood with complimenting sauces.Ricotta and olive stuffed zucchini flowers. The list goes on. Every year, we contribute by bringing “something”. It can be a bottle of something or whatever we feel like bringing, so I’m usually the one to bring dessert.
I’m partial to individual desserts, they are easy to make and I’m all for make-ahead dishes.
I made these in record time (40 mins) – that’s if you have peaches already poached and raspberry coulis left over from Christmas. I made a quick crumble for the top using crushed hobnob biscuits, melted butter, shaved coconut lightly toasted in the oven for 8 mins. The base has chopped up Madeira cake chunks.I then drizzled the cake with the poaching liquid from the peaches, then I top it with peach slices a few fresh raspberries, cheesecake mixture and repeat, finish with the crumble and drizzled with raspberry coulis.These can be made ahead of time which helps when you’re so busy doing a million and one other things.
Peach Melba Parfaits
Equipment
- 12 tumblers, 330 ml capacity *see notes below
Ingredients
- 500 gms fresh raspberries to be used for final decoration
- 1 bunch fresh mint to be used for final decoration
- 450 gms Madeira cake, cut into small chunks store bought is fine, you can use any plain cake you like
- 500 gms Cream cheese room temperature
- 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 395 gm sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 300 ml thickened cream
- 4 large just ripe peaches not too soft, a touch firm is best
- 1 litre water
- 2 cups caster sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 300 gms frozen raspberries fresh raspberries maybe used instead of frozen
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal with the skins on if possible plain almond meal works fine
- 40 gms butter, melted
- 1 cup shaved coconut shredded coconut can be used
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
Instructions
The process.
- Poach the peaches and retain the syrup
- Make the crumble
- Make the filling
- Make the raspberry coulis (sauce)
Poach the peaches
- Score a cross on the base of each peach. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar and vanilla, place on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the peaches and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender – not soft. Set aside to cool in the syrup.
- Remove the peaches when cool, remove the peel, and add the peel back into the syrup, keep the peaches on a seperate plate. Keep the syrup to the side it will be used to pour over the cake.
Make the crumble
- Heat the oven to 170'C
- Combine the almond meal, melted butter, coconut, cinnamon and caster sugar, place on a lined cookie tray and bake for 7-8 mins or until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
Make the filling
- Using a stand mixer/ hand whisk, with beater attachment, place the softened cream cheese, lemon juice, condensed milk and vanilla paste and beat to combine until smooth, 5-6 mins, then slowly add the cream and continue to whisk for a further 4 mins or until the mixture is smooth and silky. If you find the mixture has some small lumps from the cream cheese, pass the mixture through a fine sieve.
Make the raspberry coulis/sauce
- Combine the raspberries, sugar, and water in a medium saucepan, stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for a further 2 mins, leave to cool for 5 mins then pass through a fine sieve into a jug, discarding all the seeds. Leave to cool, set aside.
Assembly
- Divide the cake into the bases of the tumblers.
- Drizzle 1 tbls or so of the poaching liquid over the cake.
- Divide the cream cheese filling over the cake, remembering to allow for fruit and crumble mixture.
- Slice the peaches and place over the filling, also adding 2-4 fresh raspberries per glass
- Drizzle the coulis over the fruit.
- Add the crumble mixture and finish with a few baby sprigs of fresh mint.
- Place in the fridge to set, at least 4 hours if preparing on the day. Overnight is best.
Notes
- The tumblers I used in the photo are from Kmart (Australia). You can make these in any shape glass that you like, the capacity is 330ml.
- These can be made up to 4 days in advance, stop at the cheese filling stage and keep refrigerated. Then finish them off on the day you require them.
- The poaching liquid can be used for cocktails, it will keep in the fridge for 7 days or freeze in ice cube moulds for later use.