This dish is named after Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, just as Peach Melba is. Not that she created either dish herself. They were both named in honour of her by the legendary French chef, Auguste Escoffier (who was also a culinary writer and restaurateur who both updated and popularised traditional French cooking methods), who was a fan of hers. Just as with Peach Melba, this dish was created whilst Escoffier was at the Savoy Hotel in London, with it believed to have been created in 1897; at that time, the singer was ill and it became a staple of her diet. The proprietor of the César Ritz supposedly named the dish, not Escoffier himself.
Melba toast is a form of very thinly sliced dry toast. It is served with a variety of dishes, including Lobster Thermidor, and is also often eaten with pate and cheese. To make the toast, a slice of bread is toasted under the grill on both sides. It is then removed from the grill and sliced in half, along the thinnest length, making two pieces of toast the same size but only half the depth. The revealed side of the now two pieces of toast is then itself toasted.
Pre-made Melba toast can also be purchased in packets. This is easier to use, and less risky to make, as slicing an already thin piece of bread so that it is thinner is a recipe for an accident in unskilled hands.
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