Miss Nellie and Mr Auguste
This is a short tribute to Auguste Escoffier, the so famous French cook who was active mainly at the turn of the XIXth century and during the early 1900's.
This is over all the story of a famous dessert : the peach "Melba".
Nellie is Nellie Melba, Australian diva, world-recognized opera singer, specialist of Wagner and who, when scheduled to sing at the Covent Garden opera house in London during the "Entente Cordiale" years (note of the transalator/author : so called because the French president and the King of England had signed a friendly treaty of fair behaviour and reciprocical support), used to stay at the Savoy hotel, was a source of inspiration for the chef Auguste Escoffier.
Escoffier had been, for a very short period, a cook for the Napoleon III army in 1870 and since 1880, he confirmed his wishes for making the gastronomic "cuisine" be simpler and lighter.
He was proposed by Mr César Ritz to lead the restaurant of the famoous hotel settled in the Strand in london and he so arrived with a well trained brigade at the Savoy. César Ritz has already acknowledged his successes in other European palaces in Lucerne (Switzerland), Baden Baden (Germany) and Monte Carlo, aristocratic places of that time.
The "Guide Culinaire" (Culinary Cook Book)of the "august" chef includes the most famous recipe of Escoffier dedicated to the opera singer : the Peach Melba and also the Poularde Tosca (note of the translator/author : "poularde" is a fat hen in French ; the hen becomes fat and develops an outstanding delicate taste thanks to its castration ; a castrated chicken is called "chapon" in French) because the diva was not exclusively a Wagner opera singer.
Both recipes are very simple and fine, especially for that time, because Nellie Melba, back from an American tour, was on diet at that time...
This is over all the story of a famous dessert : the peach "Melba".
Nellie is Nellie Melba, Australian diva, world-recognized opera singer, specialist of Wagner and who, when scheduled to sing at the Covent Garden opera house in London during the "Entente Cordiale" years (note of the transalator/author : so called because the French president and the King of England had signed a friendly treaty of fair behaviour and reciprocical support), used to stay at the Savoy hotel, was a source of inspiration for the chef Auguste Escoffier.
Escoffier had been, for a very short period, a cook for the Napoleon III army in 1870 and since 1880, he confirmed his wishes for making the gastronomic "cuisine" be simpler and lighter.
He was proposed by Mr César Ritz to lead the restaurant of the famoous hotel settled in the Strand in london and he so arrived with a well trained brigade at the Savoy. César Ritz has already acknowledged his successes in other European palaces in Lucerne (Switzerland), Baden Baden (Germany) and Monte Carlo, aristocratic places of that time.
The "Guide Culinaire" (Culinary Cook Book)of the "august" chef includes the most famous recipe of Escoffier dedicated to the opera singer : the Peach Melba and also the Poularde Tosca (note of the translator/author : "poularde" is a fat hen in French ; the hen becomes fat and develops an outstanding delicate taste thanks to its castration ; a castrated chicken is called "chapon" in French) because the diva was not exclusively a Wagner opera singer.
Both recipes are very simple and fine, especially for that time, because Nellie Melba, back from an American tour, was on diet at that time...
The Peach Melba, recipe, as it is reported in the Guide Culinaire by Escoffier himself, is a minimalist recipe : "Poach the peaches into a vanilla sirup, lay them into a timbale, on a lay of vanilla ice cream and coat them with some raspberry purée".
Escoffier, like his colleagues, did not give too much precision and too many details with regards to the list and quantities of necessary ingredients and to the preparation of intermediary steps like the sirup, the ice cream and the fruit purée. One must find them elsewhere in his books. Same for the Poularde Tosca : "stuff a fat hen with rice and pan it in a short stock and then lay it on fried bread and serve it with pot roasted fennel bulbs and serve apart the thickened stock melt with butter".
The Guide Culinaire is obviously writen to be read by professionals.
I then deliver on this web site, the original Peach Melba, recipe, however updated to modern standards and with the necessary details.
The story of this recipe is questionable and Escoffier himself, becoming an old man was not so clear about it for anysway this is not so important as long as a beautiful legend remains ...
Escoffier, like his colleagues, did not give too much precision and too many details with regards to the list and quantities of necessary ingredients and to the preparation of intermediary steps like the sirup, the ice cream and the fruit purée. One must find them elsewhere in his books. Same for the Poularde Tosca : "stuff a fat hen with rice and pan it in a short stock and then lay it on fried bread and serve it with pot roasted fennel bulbs and serve apart the thickened stock melt with butter".
The Guide Culinaire is obviously writen to be read by professionals.
I then deliver on this web site, the original Peach Melba, recipe, however updated to modern standards and with the necessary details.
The story of this recipe is questionable and Escoffier himself, becoming an old man was not so clear about it for anysway this is not so important as long as a beautiful legend remains ...
Comments (12)
Bonne journée à tous les patissier
Le riz,à l'époque était souvent rond et c'était bien : il suffit de savoir le cuire...Le riz rond a l'avantage de bien retenbir les goûts. Ilne faut pas le négliger! c'et gâcher un basmati que de le faire en sauce: son gût subtil disparaît!
J'en profite pour faire part aux lecteurs d'un grand débat de fonds sur les amandes effilées dont la présence dans cette recette-ci fait sortir crucifix et gousses d'ail aux exégètes de Monsieur Auguste ...
Je profite de l'occasion pour remercier le chef Patrick de sa culture intra et extra culinaire que j'avais eu l'occasion déjà d'apprécier à l'époque du Sousceyrac
de part mes attaches culinaires le nom d'Escoffier a souvent était prononcé dans mon entourage familial.
je vais donc essayé de vous donner ma version des faits étayée par des éminents chercheurs comme André Castelot ou henriette parienté le mieux encore est d'aller fureter dans la BN
Pour commencer parlons du nom et du prénom de mlle Melba chanteuse Wagnerienne de son état .
son véritable prénom était Nellie mais sur les affiches du Covent Garden celui-ci était écrit Nelly .
Son nom Melba était un pseudonyme issu du raccourci de Melbourne ville Australienne ou naquit la chanteuse.
D'ailleurs son influence a Londres était telle qu'il n'y eut pas seulement la fameuse pêche qui s'appela "Melba" mais aussi des coiffures ,des gants,des robes etc..
Alors que mr Escoffier officie au Savoy a Londres on l'emméne écouter la vedette de l'instant Nelly Melba dans le rôle d'Elsa de Lohengrin au Covent Garden pour la remercier de tant de talent (sur scéne uniquement )et pour la remercier il lui sert le lendemain je cite exactement le récit du directeur :des pêches sur un lit de créme glacée vanillée servies dans des timbales en argent incrustées entre les deux ailes d'un cygne taillé dans la glace ,recouvert d'un voile de sucre tiré,cependant le Maître trouve qu'il y manque une petite chose pour agémenter le palais(sic)et y ajoute alors le parfum d'une purée de Famboise on remplaca alors la pêche Cardinal de la carte par cette recette
pourtant elle ne s'appela jamais Melba au Savoy mais plus tard sur celle de la 1ere carte d'Escoffier au Carlton de Londres
vers la fin de sa vie avec le journaliste du "pot au feu" il souriait quand on lui racontait l'histoire puisque en dehors de scéne mlle Nelly pour le Maître n'était qu'une "cocotte"
Quand a la recette elle est quelquefois différente même pour le maître qui dans son recueil "Ma cuisine" ne poche même plus la pêche
Quand a Nelly Melba elle mourut en 1931 ne laissant de sa grande gloire ....qu'une Pêche
voici ma pierre a l'attachement que j'ai a travers les écrits et études de la vie du célébre Auguste
chef Patrick
et que maintenant cette recette est complétement ignorée non seulement des entremetiers mais pire encore dans les salons de thé on la recouvre de crème Chantilly
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