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We once had the pleasure of preparing picnic boxes for attendees of Opera Holland Park, the open-air event staged each summer against the backdrop of London’s Holland House. On a balmy night, it can be one of the most magical places on earth. When the evening sun blankets the lawns, the breeze carries the scent of lavender and rose, and the sounds of the orchestra mingle with the cries of peacocks and waterfowl.
We knew our food had to rise to the occasion, and so our minds turned to the most famous meeting of music and gastronomy — between the great Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba and the French chef Auguste Escoffier, who is often considered the father of fine dining.
In the early 1890s, Escoffier watched Melba glide on to the stage in a swan-shaped boat in Wagner’s Lohengrin at Covent Garden. The following evening, Escoffier, who was chef at the Savoy Hotel at the time, created a dish of peaches in raspberry sauce served over vanilla ice cream atop a swan carved from ice, and presented it to Dame Nellie and her entourage. More than a century later, Peach Melba is still very much in circulation.
Enter what we fondly call The Melba Bar: that peach-and-raspberry combo in a less operatic, more picnic-friendly form. It is wholly vegan and gluten-free (provided you use gluten‑free oats), and works very well with whatever is in season. We have added macadamia nuts, not only in honour of Dame Nellie’s antipodean origins but for their buttery bite. We also added coconut and ginger because, well, we couldn’t resist.
The Melba Bar: a vegan peach, raspberry and oat crumble slice
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Preheat the oven to 170C (fan assisted)
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With the exception of the jam and fruit, place all ingredients in a large mixer bowl, use a paddle attachment and work it until it comes together to a crumbly dough. (If you prefer, you can mix the ingredients by hand, using a sturdy wooden spoon)
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Place two-thirds of the mix in a shallow baking tray (we use
a 20cm x 28cm rectangular one) and flatten it with your fingers
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Spread the jam on top of the base and scatter the fruit over it
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Dollop the remaining dough mix on top of the fruit
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Place the baking tray in the oven for 20 minutes. Rotate the tray for an even bake and continue baking for a further 20 minutes until beautifully golden and the top crumb is crisp
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You can serve it warm, straight from the oven with ice cream, or, if you want neat slices, allow it to cool down thoroughly in the baking tray before cutting
Email Sarit and Itamar at [email protected] and follow them on Instagram @honeyandco
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