Pears Helene

Dec 23

Poires Belle Helene is a classic French dessert composed of pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with vanilla ice cream then drizzled with a hot chocolate sauce. It’s a very easy dessert to master and can be easily altered to suit your tastes.

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 rumored to be the mistress of King Edward VII. La belle Hélène was so popular that several dishes named in her honor appeared on menus across Paris (tournedos belle Helene, Sole belle Helene, etc.).

Please remember that dishes in this era were altered slightly and renamed after famous personalities, especially when they were dining at a famous restaurant. The variations are very minute and shows the flexibility you have in creating your own classics at home.

Here is a small list of different poached pear dishes Escoffier served at the time:

Poires Bohemienne: Pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with vanilla ice cream garnished with glazed chestnuts and rum.
Poires Petit Duc: Pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with chestnut ice cream flavored with rum.
Poires Cardinal: Pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with strawberry puree flavored with kitsch.
Poires Melba: Pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with vanilla ice cream covered with raspberry puree.
Poires Mary Garden: Pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with vanilla ice cream garnished with cherry compote.

Poires Belle Helene

PREP: 5 minutes | COOK: 10 - 20 minutes | SERVES: 4

1-quart water
2 cups granulated 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
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips
4 scoops vanilla ice cream

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 chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Use immediately. If the sauce is too thick add a touch more cream.
To serve Pears Belle Helene: Put a poached pear on a plate along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pour the hot chocolate sauce over the pears at the table. Enjoy.

Notes: Save the leftover syrup to poach more pears; to make cocktails; to make a sorbet.