Shreya French desserts, no matter how delicious can be urbane to prepare but not this one! This classic French dessert called Poire Belle Hélène (literally translates to pears beautiful Helene) or poached pears consists of pears poached in a flavorful syrup served with a generous drizzle of chocolate and a side of Chantilly or whipped cream. In this Indianized version, I poached the pears in whole spices commonly used in Indian cuisine like cardamom, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Additionally, the whipped cream was infused with cardamom powder and saffron.
Did you know that the name of this dessert originates from the play La Belle Hélène by Offenbach that inspired the chef who created this dish. It’s a simple dish but sure to be a crowd pleaser. The pears are cooked until soft and tender and left overnight to soak in the flavors for the best taste. Served chilled with warm melted chocolate. The best thing about this dessert is that there is no added sugar and only the natural sweetness of the pears so it’s a guilt-free dessert really!
| Servings | 4-8 | |
| Prep time | 0h | 5 mins |
| Cook time | 0h | 20-15 mins |
| Resting time | 2h-overnight |
Ingredients for poached pears
4 Bosc pears
1 stick of cinnamon
2 pieces of star anise
5-6 cardamoms
8-10 cloves
chocolate of choice
3-4 tbsp milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream/ Cool Whip
2 tsbp cardamom powder
6-8 strands of saffron
1 tsp vanilla extract
Here are some more dessert ideas
Shreya Pal (@the_flavor_seeker) • Instagram photos and videos
