Pears Belle Hélène

Pears Belle-Hélène is a dessert made with poached pears in syrup, served with vanilla ice cream and topped with hot chocolate sauce. The pear is a refreshing fruit, packed with vitamins and minerals. Here is a recipe for poached pears.

Ingrédients	Units	Quantity
Pear Lemon	Piece Piece	8 1
Sirop: Eau Sucre Citron Vanille	Liter Gram Piece Pod	1/2 300 1 1
Vanilla ice cream: Milk Heavy cream Skimmed milk powder Egg yolks Granulated sugar Vanilla Stabilizer	Liter Liter Kilogram Kilogram Kilogram Pod Kilogram	0.90 0.10 0.040 0.160 0.200 1 0.010
Chocolate sauce: 70% couverture chocolate Butter Heavy cream Water	Kilogram Kilogram Liter Piece	0.200 0.040 0.02 PM

How to poach pears?

• In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, blanched lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla pod. Bring to a boil and skim off any impurities. In the meantime, carefully peel the pears and lemon them to prevent browning. Core them using a small spoon.
• Now, we will begin poaching the pears. Poach them in the boiling syrup. Make a lid using parchment paper to cover them. Let them cook for about 15 minutes, depending on their ripeness. Remove the pears and allow them to cool in the syrup.
• Churn the custard in an ice cream maker. You can find the custard recipe here.

Pears Belle-Hélène and its chocolate sauce

• In a stainless steel bowl, combine the chocolate couverture, broken into small pieces, with a little water and butter in small pieces. Place the bowl in a bain-marie and let it warm up, gently melting while stirring regularly with a spatula. Adjust the smoothness with a little warm cream. Keep the sauce warm.

To plate the Pears Belle-Hélène

• Drain the pears.
• Place the vanilla ice cream at the bottom of a deep plate.
• Place the poached pear on top of the ice cream.
• Pour the chocolate sauce over the whole dish.
• Pears Belle-Hélène is ready, enjoy your meal!

The health benefits of pears

It will be a great ally during the winter, providing vitamins, minerals, fibers, and flavor. Let’s talk about pears. It’s important to know that there are two types of pears: summer pears and winter pears. Winter pears are cultivated from August to April. Of course, there are several types of pears, with the Conference pear being the most well-known. It is elongated, much sweeter, and less fleshy. This pear is very soft when raw. Its flesh darkens as it ripens. It also keeps for a longer time.

Learn more about pears

There is also the Angélys pear, which is tart and can be used for everything: sautéed, in cakes, tarts, or cut into cubes for salads. It can either be slightly underripe for a crunchy texture, or fully ripe for a melt-in-the-mouth sensation in fruit salads, for example. Let’s also mention the Doyenné du Comice pear, which is round, plump, juicy, and slightly acidic, making it perfect for eating raw or in cakes.

Let’s talk about the nutritional qualities of pears. Of course, like most fruits, they contain vitamins and minerals. However, pears are particularly rich in fiber, making them a great choice for satiety. They provide an immediate feeling of fullness. Additionally, pears can be beneficial for digestive issues, helping to improve transit.

What you need to know is that pears have several benefits in terms of vitamins and minerals, but these are mainly found in the skin. So, to fully benefit from their nutritional advantages, it is best to keep the skin on. Pears are a low-calorie fruit. They can be consumed before exercise by athletes and are also recommended for diabetics.

Ideas for storing pears

For storage, it’s best to keep the pear in the lower part of the refrigerator and take it out as needed. It’s better to buy it when it’s not fully ripe, so it can ripen at home over three or four days. The pear is a delicate fruit. It is ripe when its skin is softer and more supple to the touch.

Of course, pears can be used in desserts, but also in savory dishes like salads. Today, I’ve decided to share with you the recipe for Pear Belle-Hélène. Hélène, like Michel Hélène, your private chef.