Poire Belle Hélène
Like the Peach Melba, this fruity dessert was invented by the Godfather of French cuisine, Auguste Escoffier, who named it after Offenbach’s opera La Belle Hélène. The original recipe involved poaching pears in syrup, scraping vanilla pods and painstakingly creating a chocolate cream. This version requires tinned pears and shop-bought vanilla ice-cream … but does involve making the chocolate sauce in a bain-marie (a useful skill for later in life or for those studying Chemistry).
Cost per student: £1.50 (€1.70)
Preparation time: 5 minutes. Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients (serves 2-3)
400g tin of pears
100g dark cooking chocolate
Vanilla ice-cream
A handful of flaked almonds (optional)
Equipment
Saucepan
Glass bowl
Wooden spoon
1. Open the tin of pears and give two halves to each diner.
2. Put a small pan, half-full of water, on to boil.
3. Break 100g of chocolate squares into a glass mixing bowl.
4. Once water is boiling, turn heat down to medium-low and place mixing bowl over pan to create a bain-marie (see photo).
5. The chocolate will start to melt, stir it slowly with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes until it looks like a sauce.
6. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each pear half and pour the hot chocolate sauce over the top.
7. Scatter 5-10 almond flakes over the ice-cream and serve immediately.
8. Save on the washing up by licking out the bowl of rapidly solidifying chocolate.