Poires belle Hélène

What is Poires Belle Hélène?

Poires Belle Hélène (Pears Belle Helene) are poached pears covered in chocolate sauce and served with vanilla ice cream.

The classic dessert was created by Auguste Escoffier and named after La Belle Hélène, an operetta by Offenbach. The dish is believed to have been created around 1864 and remains popular to this day.^[1] It’s a classic for good reason—it’s simple to make, elegant to serve, and absolutely delicious.

This version gets a slight update with a thick dark chocolate ganache as the sauce and plenty of toasted almonds for crunch. Imagine chilled pear, hot chocolate sauce, cold ice cream, and crunchy nuts. Yum!

Ingredients for Poires Belle Hélène

For the Poached Pears

• Pears: The pears are the star of the show. You can use a variety of pears here—really, any type you like as long as they aren’t too ripe. They should still be firm since they’ll be poached. Overripe pears will turn to mush. I’ve used small Seckel pears, French breakfast pears, Bosc pears, and, in this recipe, Conference pears. Choose whatever looks good!
• Star Anise: A key spice to flavor the pears. Use one star anise pod for the full recipe. It adds a wonderfully spiced, licorice flavor that pairs beautifully with the dark chocolate. Feel free to experiment with other spices if you like, but I highly recommend including star anise.
• Cinnamon Stick: The cinnamon stick adds a touch of warming spice to the pears. Be sure to use a stick here since it flavors the poaching liquid and needs to be removed afterward.
• Vanilla: This recipe uses half a vanilla pod, which adds incredible flavor and an intoxicating aroma to the pears. If you can’t get a vanilla bean or don’t want to use one, you can either omit it entirely or add a splash of vanilla extract to the poached pears and syrup once they’ve finished cooking. The pears will absorb the flavor as they cool in the syrup.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar is what you want here. The poaching syrup is very sweet, but you won’t consume it all; the pears simply cook in it. Think of it like salting pasta water—you’re not eating all the salt in the end.
• Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the overall flavor of the pears and spices.

For the Salted Dark Chocolate Sauce

This is essentially a ganache made with equal parts cream and chocolate. It’s a super-rich, thick chocolate sauce that’s easy to make. Note: It will firm up as it cools and become solid when refrigerated.

• Dark Chocolate: Use a high-quality dark chocolate bar, preferably 70%. While you can use dark chocolate chips in a pinch, but I do recommended using a bar for better flavor and texture.
• Heavy Cream: Look for good-quality heavy cream. Both “Heavy Whipping Cream” and “Heavy Cream” will work as long as they have at least 36% milkfat to create a luscious sauce.
• Salt: Use good-quality sea salt, such as Morton or Diamond Crystal. Adding salt balances the flavors and enhances the chocolate sauce—it makes a world of difference.

To Serve

• Toasted Almonds: Sliced almonds work best, but slivered almonds or chopped whole almonds are great options too.
• Vanilla Ice Cream: Vanilla is the classic pairing for Poires Belle Hélène, but feel free to experiment with other flavors. Chocolate, hazelnut, chestnut, or raspberry would all be delicious!

How to Make Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce

Make The Poached Pears

• Make the poaching syrup: You want to use a pot that is large enough to hold the pears, while still being able to keep them submerged in the poaching syrup. Combine the sugar, star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, water and salt. Bring that to a boil while you prep your pears.
• Peel and Core Pears: To prep the pears you want to peel them, leaving the stem intact, and core the bottom. I like to use a 1/4 tsp measure for this — its the perfect size to remove that bottom core. You can use a spoon or carefully remove it with a pairing knife.
• Poach the Pears: Reduce the heat on the poaching liquid to a simmer. Make sure all the sugar had dissolved. Carefully add the pears to the poaching liquid making sure they are fully submerged. You can always add in a bit more water to make sure they are covered. Simmer the pears for 30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes so they cook evenly. You know they’re done when you can easily pierce them with a pairing knife. I would check them around 20 minutes. Depending on their size, and ripeness, the time will vary.
• Let the Pears cool: Turn off the and let the pears cool in the poaching liquid. Once they are cool enough to handle safely, add them to a jar or airtight container, cover them in that syrup and store the in the fridge until ready to serve.

Make The Chocolate Sauce

• Chop Up Your Chocolate: Chop the chocolate with a serrated knife into small bits. The smaller the better since it will help the chocolate melt quickly in the cream.You’re aiming for nothing large than 1/2” or so. Add the chocolate to a heat safe bowl.
• Heat the Cream: Warm the heavy cream over low heat, just until you see a few tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan.
• Make the sauce: Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then, stir the sauce until all the chocolate has melted. Add in a pinch of salt and set aside.

Plate Up

• Toast those Almonds: Toast the almonds in a 350F oven for 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and fragrant. Keep an eye on them so the don’t burn.
• Plate the Pears: Remove the pears from their poaching liquid and arrange on serving plate. Pour over hot chocolate sauce (you can warm it back up over a pot of simmering water if you need to). Then top with toasted almonds and a generous pinch of flaky salt. Serve with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream and eat up!