Poires belle Hélène

poached pears with a salted dark chocolate sauce and toasted almonds

Dec 19, 2024

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Poires Belle Hélène

The first time I ever saw the combo of poached pears and dark chocolate sauce was on Nigella Bites, when Nigella made her Grandmother’s version of Poires belle Hélène. They were simple poached pears in a sweet syrup that get covered in a decadent dark chocolate sauce. I was immediately hooked.

The original recipe for the classic Poires belle Helene was created by Escoffier. He was very into poached pear desserts, and it’s easy to see why. They’re easy to make, incredibly delicious and look super elegant—pretty low effort but high reward.

This version is slightly different from the classic. The pears are poached in a simple syrup flavored with star anise, cinnamon and vanilla bean, then served with the most decadent salted dark chocolate ganache. Finally, they’re topped with plenty of toasted almonds and flaky salt for crunch, along with a few scoops of cold vanilla ice cream. Yes, it’s absolutely delicious. Now, let’s get to the recipe…

Ingredients

The Poached Pears

5 Pears conference pears or any pear you like, not too ripe
1 Start Anise
1 Cinnamon Stick 2-3”
1/2 Vanilla Bean
1 C Sugar
3 1/2 C Water or more to cover pears
Salt

Salted Dark Chocolate Sauce

3.5 oz Dark Chocolate
3.5 oz Heavy Cream
Salt

To Serve

1/2 C Sliced Almonds toasted
Vanilla Ice Cream

Instructions

Poach Pears

Combine the sugar, star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, water and salt. Bring that to a boil while you prep your pears. Make sure all sugar has dissolved.
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.
Reduce the heat on the poaching liquid to a simmer. Carefully add pears making sure they are fully submerged. Add in a bit more water if needed to make sure they are covered. Simmer for 30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes so they cook evenly. The pears are done when you can easily pierce them with a pairing knife. Check around 20 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on size and ripeness.
Turn off the heat and let the pears cool in the poaching liquid. Once cool enough to handle, add to a jar or airtight container. Cover in that syrup and store the in the fridge until ready to serve.

Make Chocolate Sauce

Chop the chocolate into small bits. The smaller the better, it will help the chocolate melt quickly in the warmed cream. Aim for bits around 1/2” or smaller. Add to a heat safe bowl.
Warm the cream over low heat, just until you see a few tiny bubbles around the edges of the pan.
Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 2 minutes. Stir gently until all the chocolate has melted. Add in a pinch of salt and set aside.

Plate and Serve

Toast the almonds in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant. Keep an eye on them so the don’t burn.
Remove the pears from their poaching liquid and arrange on serving plate. Pour over hot chocolate sauce. Then top with toasted almonds and a generous pinch of flaky salt. Serve with a few scoops of vanilla ice cream and eat up!

Notes: To reheat chocolate sauce you can either microwave for 10-15 seconds, stir, and then repeat until warm. Or, heat it over a pan of simmering water on the stovetop.

A few more of my favorite holiday desserts…

Italian Pear and Almond Cake

This Italian pear and almond cake is simple to make yet impressive. Topped with crunchy almonds, it's a perfectly sweet, moist dessert filled with juicy pears and nutty almond flour.

italian pear almond cake

Struffoli (Italian Honey Balls)

Orange scented fried dough balls, covered in honey, topped with toasted pine nuts and colorful sprinkles. The classic Italian holiday dessert from my childhood.

struffoli