Pears are in season here in the Barossa, ripe and delicious. So we reached out to our friends Deniz and Kylie at Cuvee Chocolate and they’ve provided a recipe for red wine poached pears with chocolate sauce and icecream – otherwise known as Poire Belle Helene.
Invented in the 1800’s by the legendary French chef Auguste Escoffier, the Poire Belle Hélène is a classic dessert that is as timeless as it is delicious!
We think our Chilli Hot Chocolate Powder gives it a nice twist without changing what it is all about – simplicity at its best!
Deniz Karaca, Cuvee Chocolate
RED WINE POACHED PEARS
Ingredients:
10 pears (Beurre Bosc where possible) – peeled and cored with stem intact
1 bottle of red wine – use Small Victories Shiraz
100g caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla pod
Method:
Put cinnamon stick, sugar, scraped vanilla pod and the wine in a medium saucepan.
Bring mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 5 minutes.
Add prepared pears to the wine syrup mixture and bring to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes. Test doneness with a knife by pricking in the thickest part of the fruit; the pears are poached when they are just cooked through, but not completely soft. Be careful not to overcook or the pears will collapse.
Allow pears to cool in syrup until they are at room temperature. Lift pears carefully from pan with a slotted spoon.
CHOCOLATE SAUCE
Ingredients:
160mL cream
105mL water
70g caster sugar
25g Cuvée 75% Dark Chilli Hot Chocolate Mix
140g Cuvée Amphora 65% Dark Chocolate
Method:
In a sauce pan or small pot, bring the cream, water, sugar and glucose to a boil.
Sift the Dark Chilli Hot Chocolate powder and mix it with a whisk into the boiling mixture.
Chop the Amphora chocolate bar into smaller bits, no larger than five cent pieces and place it into a bowl.
Pour the hot cream mixture through a strainer over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate thoroughly before combining it with a whisk.
Serve on the pears whilst still warm!
Chef’s tip: you can personalise your chocolate sauce by infusing it with some spices or even “spiking” it with your favourite adult beverage.
PLATING YOUR POIRE BELLE HELENE
Place a pear or two in a bowl and serve with two small scoops of your favourite vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of the chocolate sauce!
Enjoy!
CUVEE CHOCOLATE
Find Deniz and Kylie’s spectacular chocolate range on their website – cuveechocolate.com.au/our-range and you can also search for a local stockist on the site.
If you happen to visit our Cellar Door, you’ll be able to take some chocolate home along with our wines.
If you make this recipe at home, we’d love you to share on socials and tag us @smallvictorieswineco and tag @cuvee_chocolate too.
