Poached Pears Try French Classic Poires Belle Helene
Dessert · François de Mélogue · Provencal Recipes · TastePoached pears might be one of the easiest French desserts to serve. The preparation time is short, and you can create quite a variety of combinations. It’s a simple dessert to master and can be easily altered to suit your tastes.
To better understand where the dessert “Poris Belle Helene” comes from, it is important to have a brief history. Renowned chef Auguste Escoffier invented the dessert in the 1800s, naming it after Jacques Offenbach’s Operetta La Belle Hélène. Hortense Catherine Schneider, who played the role of Helen of Troy, was one of the great stars of operettas in the 1800s and appeared in many of Offenbach’s other operettas. She was a darling of French society and was rumoured to be the mistress of King Edward VII. La belle Hélène was so popular that several dishes named in her honour appeared on menus across Paris (tournedos belle Helene, Sole belle Helene, etc.).
Poires Belle Helene
A classic French dessert, composed of pears poached in vanilla syrup, is served with vanilla ice cream, then drizzled with a hot chocolate sauce.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 quart water
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 vanilla beans cut in half lengthwise
- 3 cardamom pods crushed (optional)
- 1 star anise optional
- 1 cinnamon stick optional
- 4 pears peeled and cored through the bottom with a melon baller
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (35%)
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
Instructions
To poach the pears:
- Bring water, sugar, and vanilla to a rapid boil in a non-reactive pan. Add the optional spices if you are using them. Add the pears to the syrup and cook over medium-low heat until they are easily pierced with a paring knife. Cool and store the pears in the syrup until ready to serve. The cooking time varies wildly on how ripe or unripe your pears are. Mine generally take about 10 to 20 minutes.
To make the chocolate sauce:
- Bring cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Use immediately. If the sauce is too thick, add a touch more cream.
To serve pears Belle Hélène:
- Place a poached pear on a plate, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. At the table, pour the hot chocolate sauce over the pears. Enjoy.
Notes
Save the leftover syrup to poach more pears, make cocktails, or make a sorbet.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Additional Pear Desserts:
Chocolate Tart with Caramelised Pears
Flaky tart pastry crust with a layer of chocolate, sweet pear slices and drizzled chocolate glaze.
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Poached Pears with Berry Purée
This recipe can be prepared with any variety of pear that you like. The best is to select fruit that has a large bottom (better for filling with the "surprise"). Prepare the pears and the filling in advance, a day or two ahead of serving.
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Roasted Pears with Crème Anglaise
Serve one to two pear halves per person; adjust the proportions after deciding the serving size. In this case, I used 1/2 pear per person, but it doesn't hurt to make extra.
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Rosé Poached Pears
This dessert is delicious either served warm or chilled. Once cooked the pears will keep covered in the fridge for three days.
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