Poached Pears Belle Helene Recipes

CARAMEL PEARS BELLE HELENE

Steps:

• 1. Peel the ginger and cut into 1/4-inch-thick disks.
• 2. In a deep saucepan large enough to hold the pear halves in a single layer, combine the ginger, sugar, and 1/2 cup of the water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook the syrup until it turns a medium amber brown. Remove the pan from heat and carefully add the remaining 2 1/2 cups water. Stir until the caramel is completely dissolved. Add the vanilla bean to the syrup.
• 3. Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact. Cut the pears in half lengthwise. Use a melon baller to remove the central core. Draw the melon baller from the core to the top of the pear, removing the interior stem, up to the top of the pear. Add the pears to the caramel syrup.
• 4. Simmer and cook the pears, uncovered, until they are tender but not mushy when pierced with a sharp knife, 15 to 20 minutes (the length of poaching time depends on the ripeness of the fruit). Stir in the pear brandy, if using.
• 5. Remove the pan from heat and let the pears cool to room temperature in the poaching liquid. The pears can be served immediately, or covered and refrigerated in the poaching liquid for up to 2 days.
• 6. To serve, drain the pears and place each pear half on a dessert plate. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside or on top of the poached pear. Drizzle with chocolate or caramel sauce. Sprinkle with the pistachios and serve immediately.

PEARS BELLE HELENE

Steps:

• Peel, halve, and core the pears and sprinkle over them the lemon juice to stop them from discoloring. In a wide shallow pan (in which the pears will fit in 1 layer - otherwise cook them in batches) put 1 1/4 cups water, the sugar, and the vanilla bean, if using. Bring to a boil, stirring every now and again to make sure the sugar dissolves, then lower the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, if using. Put the pears into the liquid, cut side down, and raise the heat again so that the syrup boils up and the pears are covered by it. You may need to spoon the syrup over. After half a minute or so, lower the heat, then cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes; turn the pears, cover the pan again, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Continue poaching until the pears are cooked and translucent; they should feel tender (but not soggy) when pierced. They may need more or less cooking time - it depends on the pears. Take off the heat, keep covered, and leave to cool.
• Now the chocolate sauce: place the chocolate, broken up into small pieces, in a thick-bottomed pan with the coffee and sugar and melt over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Then pour in the cream, still stirring, and when it is very hot pour into a warmed sauceboat or a bowl with a ladle.
• To serve, arrange pears cut side down on a big flat plate and pour some syrup over. (Any remaining syrup will keep in the refrigerator or freezer and can be used to pour over apples or other fruit when making pies or crumbles. You can wash the vanilla pod, wipe it and put it in a canister of sugar.) Offer with ice cream, sauce, and pistachios, if using, served separately; allow diners to help themselves.

VANILLA POACHED PEARS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE AND ICE CREAM (A.K.A. "POIRE BELLE HELENE")

Steps:

• 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.

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.