Desserts
Poires Belle Hélène (Poached Pears)
Poires Belle Hélène is a French dessert consisting of pears poached in sugar syrup, served with melted chocolate. It was created by French chef Auguste Escoffier in the 19th century, and named after the operetta La Belle Hélène by Offenbach. Poires Belle Hélène is a simple, yet refined dessert. Often served with vanilla ice cream, enhancing the cold-warm contrast even further, it is a delicious dessert that is sure to impress your guests, and yet, it is very easy to make.
Poires Belle-Hélène Recipe
Recipe in French here. (Please note, I made some changes to it.)
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 40 minutes |
| Servings |
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Ingredients
For poached pears
- 3 pears (I used Anjou Pears)
- 1 qt water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Lemon
For melted chocolate
- 4 oz. Bittersweet dark baking chocolate
- 3 tablespoons water
Ingredients
For poached pears
For melted chocolate
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Instructions
- Using a vegetable peeler, peel the pears, removing the skin but leaving the stem. Squeeze a tiny bit of lemon juice on the pears.
- Fill a pot with 1 qt of water, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Warm it up on the stove, stirring from time to time. When the water starts boiling, place the pears in the boiling water, and let them poach for 30 minutes on medium heat. Check to see if the pears are ready by using the tip of a knife. Pears should be soft enough that the tip of the knife goes right in. If the pears are still too hard, let them poach for longer.
- Take the pears out of the water, and place each pear in an individual small serving bowl. Let the pears cool down. (Tip: If a pear is not standing upright, use a knife to flatten the bottom of the pear, so as to make it stand upright.) If you wish to remove the core of the pears, now is a good time to do it. However, you need to make sure the pears can still stand upright with the core removed, which is why I prefer to keep the core.
- In the meantime, prepare the melted chocolate. Cut the chocolate in little pieces, and place it in a pot together with 3 tablespoons of water. Put the pot in a bigger pot of hot water so as to melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (this allows for slow cooking as the hot water from the bigger receptacle is what warms up the chocolate contained in the smaller pot). Stir the chocolate, and let it melt slowly (about 5–10 minutes).
- Pour the melted chocolate on the pears. Serve with vanilla ice cream on the side. You can also place sliced almonds on the pears, if you wish. Enjoy right away, when the chocolate is hot. Bon Appétit!
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Bon Appétit!
French Mom
Summary
Recipe Name
Poires Belle-Hélène
Author Name
French Mom Cooking
Published On
Great !
Thank you!