How do you know when you’ve ascended to divadom? Dame Nellie Melba might say when a dessert is named after you. The Peach Melba, a dessert of peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream, was fashioned in the 1890s to celebrate the soprano who was at the peak of her fame. Now we’ve got La Dolce Jessica, honouring the British-Australian soprano Jessica Pratt. Created by Australian cook and food author Maggie Beer to mark the occasion of Pratt’s Sydney Opera House debut as Lucia di Lammermoor for Opera Australia, the dessert is available at Aria Restaurant, a stone’s throw away from the theatre.

Maggie Beer, Jessica Pratt and Matt Moran. Photo © courtesy of Opera Australia

A deconstructed trifle, La Dolce Jessica boasts a lemon curd base, fresh raspberries and jelly, as well as crystallised macadamia nuts, an Amaretto crumb and toffee tuile. The dessert will be available on Aria’s pre-theatre menu throughout Opera Australia’s run of Lucia di Lammermoor. The Restaurant is run by Beer’s friend Matt Moran, who jumped at the chance to plate up what might transpire to be an iconic dessert.