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poire belle Hélène
poached pears with chocolate
Pears are a naturally beautiful fruit, which perhaps inspired the famous chef Auguste Escoffier to name this dessert he invented in the 1860s after Jacques Offenbach’s operetta La belle Hélène.
The peeled pear should be poached with a vanilla pod and sugar, and served chilled with its stem standing up and covered in a rich dark chocolate sauce, then adorned with toasted flaked almonds, a ball of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
Text © Dana Facaros
Image by Comrade Foot from Taastrup, Denmark