Phil Fanning's ambitious peach melba recipe combines peach, raspberry and vanilla mousse to create a glorious, restaurant quality dessert with a sensational explosion of complementary fruity flavours.
Start with the raspberry sorbet by soaking the gelatine in cold water until fully hydrated. Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a small pan, remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatine until completely dissolved
1/2 gelatine leaf
50ml of water
20g of caster sugar
2
Whisk in the raspberry purée and lemon juice, strain into a Pacojet container and freeze. Process in the Pacojet 10 minutes before serving
For the peach melba, blanch the peaches in boiling water for 10 seconds then refresh into ice water. Once they are cold, carefully remove the skin and the stone
Combine the raspberry purée, water, sugar, sweet wine and antioxidant and bring to the boil. Mix well and add the peaches, reducing to a gentle simmer to poach at about 65˚C for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Allow the peaches to cool in the liquid
For the brandy snap, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the honey and once combined, mix in the flour and refrigerate for 20 minutes
Preheat the oven to 170˚C/gas mark 3.5. Remove the mix from the fridge and roll to 2mm thick, between 1 silicone mat as the base and 1 sheet of parchment paper. Refrigerate again to set. Peel off the parchment paper and bake for 7-9 minutes or until golden
7
For the macaroons, beat the egg whites until maximum volume then add the sugar slowly, continue whisking for 20 mins until the meringue is tight and shiny. Mix the raspberry powder, ground almonds, icing sugar and flour and sift to remove any lumps
Gently fold the dry mix into the meringue, continuing to mix until it starts to very slowly flow from the spatula. Transfer into a piping bag and pipe into 2cm dots on a silicone mat
9
Allow to dry on a rack for up to an hour until a thick skin has formed. Bake at 125˚C for 15-20 minutes or until they have risen and set. Allow to cool completely and remove from the mat
10
For the white chocolate ganache, bring the raspberry purée and trimoline to the boil and pour over the white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts - you may need to use a bain marie to ensure the chocolate melts completely. Transfer into a piping bag and set in the fridge
Pipe the ganache onto the flat side of a macaroon and top with another macaroon to create a sandwich. Repeat for the remaining macaroons and filling and set aside until ready to serve
12
For the vanilla mousse, bring the double cream, vanilla and milk to the boil. Whisk the yolks and sugar and slowly add the hot cream. Transfer back to the pan and gently bring to 80˚C, stirring continuously
Remove from the heat and mix in the soaked gelatine, stir into a bowl over ice until the gelatine starts to set. Gently fold through the cream, transfer to a piping bag and set in the fridge
1 gelatine leaf
250ml of cream
14
To serve, place a peach in the centre of each bowl, fill the hole with vanilla mousse, add some fresh raspberries, a scoop of raspberry sorbet, a piece of brandy snap and a filled macaroon. Finish with a little of the poaching liquid and serve
Phil Fanning remains one of the brightest, most interesting chefs of the British food scene, creating beautiful, intricate plates of food at the magnificent Paris House in Woburn Abbey.
