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Pears Helene
The Classic Dessert That Anyone Can Make
Poires Belle Helene is a classic French dessert composed of pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with vanilla ice cream then drizzled with a hot chocolate sauce. It’s a very easy dessert to master and can be altered to suit your tastes.
Where the Name Came From
Renowned chef Auguste Escoffier invented the dessert in the 1800s naming it after Jacques Offenbach’s Operetta La Belle Hélène. Hortense Catherine Schneider, who played the role of Helen of Troy, was one of the great stars of operettas in the 1800s and appeared in many of Offenbach’s other operettas. She was a darling of French society and rumored to be the mistress of King Edward VII. La belle Hélène was so popular that several dishes named were in her honor appeared on menus across Paris (tournedos belle Helene, Sole belle Helene, etc.).
Please remember that dishes in this era were altered slightly and renamed after famous personalities, especially when they were dining at a famous restaurant. The variations are very minute and show the flexibility you have in creating your own classics at home.
Variations
Here is a small list of different poached pear dishes Escoffier served at the time:
- Poires Bohemienne: Pears…
