Easy Pears Helenefrench Poires Hélène Recipes

POACHED PEARS BELLE HELENE

Steps:

• Place water in a heavy pot. Stir in zest and juice of 1 lemon. Place pears in pot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds and split pods to the poaching liquid. Pour in sugar.
• Bring pot to a simmer over medium-high heat; stir gently to dissolve sugar with minimal jostling of the pears. Reduce heat so pears continue cooking over a steady, gentle simmer. Pears need to stay submerged, so place a small plate over them in the pot to keep them under the liquid. Simmer until pears are just tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (Remove plate to test the pears for doneness.) Remove pot from heat and let pears cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid.
• Transfer pears and vanilla beans to a storage container and cover with some of the poaching liquid. Cover and refrigerate until pears are thoroughly chilled, several hours or overnight. Reserve all of the poaching liquid (see footnote).
• Heat hot fudge sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Dip base of pear into the chocolate and spoon chocolate along the sides except for the top inch or so of the pear.
• Place dipped pears in individual serving bowls with another generous spoonful of syrup and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

POIRE BELLE HELENE

Steps:

• To assemble the Poire Belle Helene, place a scoop of chocolate ice cream at the bottom use a sundae glass. Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the ice cream then place a pear on top. Drizzle more chocolate sauce on top of the pear, and top it with whipped cream and another drizzle of sauce.
• Pour the water, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a non-reactive 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla beans in half lengthwise. Separate the seeds from the skins by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside. Add the seeds and skins to the mixture and continue heating.
• Peel and core the pears but do not halve them. Coring the pears from the bottom will encourage the poaching liquid to seep inside the pear and help it cook evenly inside and out. Add the pears to the lemon mixture and bring to a boil. When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for about 1 hour. Do not overcook the pears; they should be soft enough to pierce easily with a wooden skewer or toothpick.
• In order to keep the pears immersed in the liquid and help them to poach evenly, you must make a parchment paper lid to cover them. To make the lid, cut a round disk from a sheet of parchment paper that is slightly smaller than the diameter of your pan. Place the paper lid directly on top of the pears and poaching liquid. When the pears are fully poached, pour them and the poaching liquid into a clean container. You will need 1 whole pear for each serving.
• Heat the milk and chopped chocolate together in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan (this will keep the milk from burning) over medium-high heat until bubbles form around the edge of the pan. While the milk is heating, combine the sugar and egg yolks and whisk until thoroughly incorporated and thick. Temper the egg mixture by pouring about half of the hot milk into it and whisk well. Now pour the tempered egg mixture into the remaining hot milk and chocolate. Cook over medium-high heat until slightly thickened, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. The mixture has finished cooking when it is thick enough to coat the back of the spatula, about 3 to 5 minutes. If you want to reduce the cooling time, you can cool the chocolate ice cream base over an ice bath. When the mixture is cool, spin it according to the type of ice cream machine you are using. The ice cream is ready when it is creamy and smooth, like the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. Place the ice cream in an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to use.
• Pour the milk into a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. When it boils, remove the milk from the heat and make a ganache by adding the chopped chocolate. Whisk well, stirring into the edge of the saucepan to combine. The ganache should be homogenous and smooth. Set the ganache aside. In a 1-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the heavy cream, butter, and sugar. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. The butter should be completely melted and the sugar completely dissolved. Once the mixture has come to a boil, pour the cream into the warm ganache.
• Place the sauce over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk. As the chocolate sauce cooks, it will begin to thicken slightly. When it reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and pour it into a clean, dry bowl. Cover by placing plastic wrap directly on top of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming. Let the chocolate sauce cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator. When cold, the chocolate sauce will become thick enough to be scooped with a spoon.

EASY PEARS HELENE/FRENCH POIRES HéLèNE

Steps:

• In the bottom of each of 4 sherbet glasses or bowls, put 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup.
• On top of syrup, place 1 or 2 scoops of ice cream.
• Place pear half, cut side down, on top of each portion of ice cream.
• Combine jam and water in a separate bowl and spoon mixture over each pear.
• Garnish top with crystallized violets or sliced almonds, if desired.