Poire Belle Helene
Serves: 4
Floy Nolan
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
52
Spice
39
Sweetness
54
Sourness
41
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.6
Difficulty
Ingredients:
Directions:
1
To assemble the Poire Belle Helene, place a scoop of chocolate ice cream at the bottom use a sundae glass
2
Drizzle the chocolate sauce over the ice cream then place a pear on top
3
Drizzle more chocolate sauce on top of the pear, and top it with whipped cream and another drizzle of sauce
4
Pour the water, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice into a non-reactive 4-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over medium-high heat
5
Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla beans in half lengthwise
6
Separate the seeds from the skins by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside
7
Add the seeds and skins to the mixture and continue heating
8
Peel and core the pears but do not halve them
9
Coring the pears from the bottom will encourage the poaching liquid to seep inside the pear and help it cook evenly inside and out
10
Add the pears to the lemon mixture and bring to a boil
11
When it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook for about 1 hour
12
Do not overcook the pears; they should be soft enough to pierce easily with a wooden skewer or toothpick
13
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
14
To make the lid, cut a round disk from a sheet of parchment paper that is slightly smaller than the diameter of your pan
15
Place the paper lid directly on top of the pears and poaching liquid
16
When the pears are fully poached, pour them and the poaching liquid into a clean container
17
You will need 1 whole pear for each serving
18
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
19
While the milk is heating, combine the sugar and egg yolks and whisk until thoroughly incorporated and thick
20
Temper the egg mixture by pouring about half of the hot milk into it and whisk well
21
Now pour the tempered egg mixture into the remaining hot milk and chocolate
22
Cook over medium-high heat until slightly thickened, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula
23
The mixture has finished cooking when it is thick enough to coat the back of the spatula, about 3 to 5 minutes
24
If you want to reduce the cooling time, you can cool the chocolate ice cream base over an ice bath
25
When the mixture is cool, spin it according to the type of ice cream machine you are using
26
The ice cream is ready when it is creamy and smooth, like the consistency of soft-serve ice cream
27
Place the ice cream in an airtight container and store in the freezer until ready to use
28
Pour the milk into a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil
29
When it boils, remove the milk from the heat and make a ganache by adding the chopped chocolate
30
Whisk well, stirring into the edge of the saucepan to combine
31
The ganache should be homogenous and smooth
32
Set the ganache aside
33
In a 1-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the heavy cream, butter, and sugar
34
Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally
35
The butter should be completely melted and the sugar completely dissolved
36
Once the mixture has come to a boil, pour the cream into the warm ganache
37
Place the sauce over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk
38
As the chocolate sauce cooks, it will begin to thicken slightly
39
When it reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and pour it into a clean, dry bowl
40
Cover by placing plastic wrap directly on top of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming
41
Let the chocolate sauce cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator
42
When cold, the chocolate sauce will become thick enough to be scooped with a spoon