Kitchen Garden Season · Demonstration Recipe

Poached Vanilla Peach
with Whipped Cheesecake Cream & Thermomix Mango Sorbet

8 Servings

4 Components

45Minutes active

Vanilla-Poached Peach

• Ripe peaches, halved and stoned 4
• Water 500 ml
• Caster sugar 150 g
• Vanilla pods, split and scraped 1
• Lemon, juiced 1

Whipped Cheesecake Cream

• Full-fat cream cheese 200 g
• Double cream 200 ml
• Icing sugar 40 g
• Vanilla bean paste 1 tsp
• Lemon, zested 1

Almond Crumble

• Plain flour 60 g
• Ground almonds 40 g
• Caster sugar 40 g
• Cold butter, cubed 50 g
• Flaked almonds 20 g
• Fine salt Pinch

Thermomix Mango Sorbet

• Frozen mango chunks 400 g
• Caster sugar 60 g
• Water 50 ml
• Lime, juiced 1

Method

1. Make the vanilla poaching syrup. Bring the water, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice to a gentle simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
2. Poach the peaches Lower the peach halves into the syrup cut-side down. Poach gently until just tender but still holding their shape.
3. Cool in syrup Remove from the heat and let the peaches cool in the syrup — this is where they take on the most flavour and colour. For a demonstration, prepare this stage well ahead of time.
4. Rub together the crumble base Rub the cold butter into the flour, ground almonds, sugar and salt until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Scatter in the flaked almonds.
5. Bake the crumble Spread on a lined tray and bake at 160°C until golden and crisp, stirring once halfway through.
6. Cool the crumble Cool fully on the tray — it will crisp further as it cools. Break into rough shards and small clusters for texture contrast.
7. Whip the cheesecake cream Beat the cream cheese until smooth and loosened. Add icing sugar, vanilla and lemon zest, then gradually whip in the double cream to soft, pipeable peaks — don’t overwhip or it will split.
8. Chill the cream Rest in the fridge until service to firm up slightly for piping or quenelling.
9. Thermomix mango sorbet Place sugar, into the Thermomix bowl. Blitz 10 sec/Speed 10, scrape down, then add in the remaining ingredients mix 1 min/Speed 8–10,
10. using the spatula to push fruit onto the blades, add the butterfly whisk and whip until smooth and softly frozen in texture. Serve immediately — this is a made-to-order “instant” sorbet, ideal for live demonstration.
11. Plate up Drain a poached peach half and set on the plate. Quenelle or pipe the cheesecake cream alongside. Scatter over the almond crumble for crunch. Finish with a scoop of mango sorbet straight from the Thermomix bowl and serve at once.

Chef’s Notes

Poach the peaches and bake the crumble the day before — both hold beautifully and take the pressure off the day. Whip the cheesecake cream just before and keep it chilled. Save the mango sorbet as the live Thermomix moment: it takes under two minutes from frozen fruit to soft-serve texture and always lands well with your guests. Reduce the leftover vanilla syrup afterwards to a glaze for extra shine on the plate.

Chef Lee Cooper · Kitchen Garden Series