My glass slippers are, once again, packed carefully in the back of the closet. Two weeks ago, I attended the 50th anniversary dinner for Les Dames d’Escoffier, a nonprofit organization for women in the food and hospitality industry. Les Dames was started by an intrepid group of women who had been barred from the all-male Des Amis d’Escoffier, composed of well-known chefs and other men in the food industry. We recently gathered at the Omni Parker House in Boston to commemorate the first dinner held at the same location in April 1959 and to pay homage to those cutting-edge women who were just a pinch before their time. The world has changed greatly since then but, on that night, 1950s glamour and grace were in plentiful supply.

Dressed in my best, I was greeted at the door of the wood-paneled Press Room by tuxedoed, white-gloved waiters bearing silver trays of champagne — perfection. The cocktail hour flew by in a blur of passed hors d’oeuvres, champagne and remarks by the chapter president. The caviar station  — replete with iced silver bowls of sturgeon, roe and all the fixins including blinis, toast points, chopped egg, purple onion, tomato and sour cream — set the tone for the elegant evening. With an eight-course dinner waiting in the Louisa May Alcott Dining Room, I only visited the caviar table once.

The dining room was laid out in classic Escoffier style: Auguste Escoffier preferred his dining rooms set up in the shape of the letter “U.” The tables are placed this way to prevent the sense that one table is more valuable or less valuable than any other. The table was graced with a dizzying array of cutlery and glassware, fine linens and whimsical centerpieces filled with edible fruits. Each course arrived via a battalion of servers with dishes held high. Each course was set on the table simultaneously: remember, all diners are equal. Escoffier rules require a few moments of silence as the food is served to afford the food its well-deserved moment to shine.

Each plate was carefully created by a cadre of attentive chefs eager to honor the memory of Chef Escoffier and the legacy laid down 50 years earlier by the founding members of Les Dames. A bowl of consommé arrived first with an unexpected pairing of Napoleon Amontillado Sherry. Soon to follow was a piece of North Atlantic Sea Bass with Grilled Spring Leeks, Seared Duck Breast with Hudson Valley Foi Gras, a Grapefruit Granité cleverly served in a diminutive block of ice, Roasted Veal Mignon with Grilled Wild Mushrooms, a Lemon Cress and Amaranth Salad, a plate of luscious cheeses and — at last — a Soufflé Grand Marnier, coffee and tea.

Six hours of dining, toasting and celebrating came to an end and, like Cinderella dashing from the ball, I climbed into my Toyota and drove south to reality. Fortunately, Chef Escoffier’s recipes and his wisdom live on for all to savor. What follows is his original recipe for Peach Melba created in honor of the great opera singer Nellie Melba in the late 1800s.  

Original Recipe for Pêche Melba (Peach Melba)
From Chef Auguste Esfcoffier
Serves 6

Choose six tender and perfectly ripe peaches. Blanch the peaches for 2 seconds in boiling water and remove them immediately with a slotted spoon, and place them in ice water for a few seconds. Peel them and place them on a plate, sprinkle them with a little sugar and refrigerate them. Prepare a liter of very creamy vanilla ice cream and purée 250 grams of very fresh ripe raspberries crushed through a fine sieve and mixed with 150 grams of powdered sugar.  Refrigerate.

To assemble:  Fill a sliver timbale with the vanilla ice cream. Delicately place the peaches on top of the ice cream and cover with the raspberry puree. Optionally, during the almond season, add a few slivers of almonds on top, but never use dried almonds.

Presentation: Embed the sliver timbale in an ice sculpture and add a lace of spun sugar over the top (optional).