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!