Poire belle Hélène (pronounced [pwaʁ bɛl‿elɛn]) is a dessert made from pears poached in sugar syrup and served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. It was created around 1864 by Auguste Escoffier and named after the operetta La belle Hélène by Jacques Offenbach.[1] Simpler versions replace poached pears with canned pears and sliced almonds.

Poire belle Hélène
Alternative namesBirne Helene
CourseDessert
Place of originFrance
Created byAuguste Escoffier
Serving temperatureContrasting (hot pears, cold ice cream)
Main ingredientsPear and ice cream
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In the film Pappa ante Portas by Loriot, the main character and his wife keep arguing about the ingredients of a genuine Poire belle Hélène.

References

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  1. ^ Desserts de tradition, Hervé Chaumeton, Jean Arbeille, 2005, p.6, Artémis éditions, ISBN 2-84416-404-8