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Poires Belle-Hélène
Pears with chocolate sauce
Poires Belle-Hélène: poached pears with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce
Poires Belle-Hélène was created in Paris in the 1860s, probably by the great chef Escoffier, to honour Offenbach's operetta La Belle Hélène, and it is still on bistro menus and served at home as an easy winter dessert. Whole pears are poached in vanilla syrup, then served cold with vanilla ice cream and a jug of hot dark chocolate sauce. The common mistake is poaching hard pears too fast, so they stay crunchy in the middle. Chef's tip: the pears are done when a knife slides in like butter; keep the syrup at a gentle shiver.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 firm pears, such as Conference or Williamspeeled, stalks left on
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 1 litre water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 ½ oz dark chocolatechopped
- ½ cup double cream
- 4 scoops vanilla ice cream
- 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring the 5 ½ oz sugar, 1 litre water, 1 vanilla pod, split and 1 tbsp lemon juice to the boil in a pan just big enough for the 4 firm pears, such as Conference or Williams.
5 minStep 2: Add the pears, cover with a circle of baking paper and poach at a bare simmer for 20–30 minutes, turning once, until a knife slides in easily. Cool in the syrup.
30 minStep 3: Heat the ½ cup double cream to simmering, pour over the 3 ½ oz dark chocolate and stir until smooth, adding a spoonful of the syrup to thin.
5 minStep 4: Serve each pear with a scoop of 4 scoops vanilla ice cream, a pour of hot chocolate sauce and the 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does poires Belle-Hélène take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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