Vanilla Poached Pears with Chocolate Sauce and Ice Cream (a.k.a. "Poire Belle Helene")
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 1209
- Total Fat
- 53
- Saturated Fat
- 32
- Carbohydrates
- 192
- Dietary Fiber
- 11
- Sugar
- 170
- Protein
- 8
- Cholesterol
- 128
- Sodium
- 128
- Total: 1 hr 45 min
- Prep: 35 min
- Inactive: 45 min
- Cook: 25 min
Ingredients
Vanilla Poached Pears:
6 cups water
3 cups sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 lemon, zested
1 vanilla bean
6 firm pears such as Bosc or Bartlett
Chocolate Sauce:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 quart store-bought vanilla-bean ice cream
Wafer cookies, for serving
Directions
- Combine the water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. Split vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and add both the seeds and the pod to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Peel the pears. Reduce the poaching liquid to a simmer and add the pears. Cook until just tender (the tip of a paring knife will go through the flesh of a pear with just a little resistance), about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the pears in the poaching liquid, until completely cooled, about 45 minutes.
- Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Put the chocolate and butter into a medium-size bowl. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth and glossy.
- Serve the pears with a scoop of ice cream, a little pear-poaching syrup and warm chocolate sauce drizzled over the top. Garnish with a wafer cookie and serve.