Poire Belle Hélène
Poire Belle Hélène is a fairly simple cold dessert. The pears are poached in a vanilla-flavoured syrup, then served on top of vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sauce poured over.
82 K 4.7/5 (23 reviews)
20 min.
Easy
4 people
3 IngredientsLast modified on: November 22th 2023
For 4 people, you will need:
4 
14.1 oz 
14.1 oz 
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 20 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 5 min.
Drain 4 poacheds pears and slice them.
Stage 2 - 5 min.
Put 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream into each dish.
Stage 3 - 3 min.
Arrange a sliced pear on top.
Stage 4 - 3 min.
Pour the hot chocolate sauce over and serve immediately.
Remarks
You can scatter a few toasted flaked almonds over the chocolate if you like, but this is not essential.
Many recipes leave the pears whole with the stalk still on. This is certainly more attractive, but less enjoyable to eat. That is why the pears are sliced in this version.
The recipe was invented by Auguste Escoffier in the nineteenth century in honour of the eponymous musical work by Jacques Offenbach.
Many recipes leave the pears whole with the stalk still on. This is certainly more attractive, but less enjoyable to eat. That is why the pears are sliced in this version.
The recipe was invented by Auguste Escoffier in the nineteenth century in honour of the eponymous musical work by Jacques Offenbach.
Keeping: Should be eaten immediately.
Source: Based on a recipe by Auguste Escoffier.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 270 RDI=100 % | 1,400 RDI=130 % | 920 RDI=140 % | 7,990 RDI=400 % | 33,460 RDI: 400 % |
| Per 100 g | 30 RDI=10 % | 180 RDI=20 % | 120 RDI=20 % | 1,000 RDI=50 % | 4,180 RDI: 50 % |
| Per person | 70 RDI=30 % | 350 RDI=30 % | 230 RDI=40 % | 2,000 RDI=100 % | 8,370 RDI: 100 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 4 people : 4.45 €
- Per person : 1.15 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Vanilla ice cream
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Baked Alaska, Profiteroles, Peach Melba, Little caramelized peach tarts, Ice-cream Vacherin, ... See them all 5
Chocolate sauce
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Like Bounty, Profiteroles, ... See them all 2
Poached pears
You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Fresh fruit in sabayon, Rice pudding with chestnuts and poached pears, Pear verbena tarts, Pear and strawberry verrine with tiramisu cream, Tarte Bourdaloue, ... See them all 5
Other recipes you may also like
Leek and tuna loaf
This loaf is a savoury cake (quite popular in France) made with tinned tuna and leeks that have been lightly cooked with shallot.October 3rd 2010197 K4.4 1 hour 20 min.
Pan bagnat
Pan Bagnat is a traditional recipe from the Nice area. The name means "soaked bread", as it consists of a round bread roll that has been drenched with a mix of oil and vinegar then filled vegetables and fish. Years ago this was the snack that fisherman took with them on their boats, but this is a...October 18th 2020161 K4.1 45 min.
Minestrone
Minestrone is a traditional Italian soup. It is made with a mix of vegetables and a poultry stock. It is quite simple to make, but preparing all the vegetables takes time. There are doubtless as many minestrone recipes as there are Italian cooks, but here is my version.May 29th 2011178 K4.3 3 hours 30 min.
Corn salad with croutons
Corn salad (or lamb's lettuce) leaves mixed with chopped hard-boiled eggs, mushrooms, spring onions, butter-fried croutons, and - of course - a good vinaigrette dressing.April 8th 2012132 K5 55 min.
Macédoine of vegetables
A macédoine is simply vegetables diced small (carrots and turnips) or cut small (green beans) with peas. The different vegetables are cooked separately "à l'anglaise", then thoroughly drained. They are only combined at the end in a mayonnaise dressing.September 3rd 2014169 K4 1 hour 25 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-07-06)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.