The Belle-Hélène pear, its history and our best addresses

Created in 1864 by Auguste Escoffier in honor of Offenbach's opera La Belle Hélène, the dessert consists of poached pears served with vanilla ice cream and topped with hot chocolate sauce. Rapidly gaining popularity, it is now part of France's gastronomic heritage. A must-have bistro dessert, pastry chefs and chefs alike have seized on this mythical dessert to create their own versions, unexpected or otherwise!

Christine Ferber's Belle-Hélène pear

Created for the 100th anniversary of La Grande Epicerie de Paris, Marguerite Boucicaut's Douceur Belle-Hélène stands out among Christine Ferber's jams. A collection of four creations, three jams and one sweet where fruit mingles with chocolate for a moment of pure indulgence. Spread on toast or, for those with a sweet tooth, enjoy with a spoon. A must-have at La Grande Epicerie de Paris until the end of October, then at Christine Ferber.

• www.christineferber.com
• Read Gault&Millau's review of Pâtisserie Christine Ferber

The Belle-Hélène pear from L'Escargot 1903

In an unprecedented interpretation, chef Yannick Tranchant has created an anthology dessert, the Belle-Hélène sphere. A dark chocolate sphere in which segments of Conference pears poached in syrup contrast with the lightness of vanilla chantilly and the creaminess of Bourbon vanilla ice cream. For crunch, a cocoa streuzel with fleur de sel and a few roasted slivered almonds join the chocolate shell. "At the table, the show comes when the chocolate sauce is poured over the sphere to melt it, the scent of hot chocolate whets the appetite, and all that's left to do is dip your spoon in to discover my version of Belle-Hélène."

• Where? 94 Rue Sadi Carnot 92800 Puteaux
• www.lescargot1903.com
• Read Gault&Millau's review of L'Escargot 1903

Belle-Hélène pear from La Maison dans le Parc

"I've imagined a reminiscence of the Poire Belle-Hélène, a dessert in which I take the fundamentals of this traditional dessert and work them in a different way. "Playing on the textures and preparation methods of each ingredient, the Chef creates a chocolate-pear marble mousse, a chocolate-sarrazin ganache, which he combines with a few caramel opalines and pear balls fermented in pear juice. An unexpected chef's dessert, which the Chef recommends enjoying with a Cape Ruby 2021 - Groot Constantia from South Africa.

• Where? 3 Rue Sainte-Catherine 54000 Nancy
• www.lamaisondansleparc.com
• Read Gault&Millau's review of La Maison dans le Parc

The Belle-Hélène pear from Auberge du Pont

"My idea was to create a multitude of textures to counteract the traditional dessert. So I imagined my Belle-Hélène pear with a cocoa crumble, pear and chestnut chips, raw and cooked pear, a milk chocolate mousse reminiscent of the traditional coulis, and a cep ice cream for its creaminess. "A dessert in which the cep interacts coherently with the chocolate and pear. In addition to the strong identity of this dessert, the imagination is captured by the cocoa crumble, an image of the earth, and the mushroom ice cream. A very down-to-earth dessert!

• Where? 70 Avenue du Dr. Besserve 63430 Pont-du-Château
• www.auberge-du-pont.com
• Read Gault&Millau's review of Auberge du Pont

The Belle-Hélène d'Origines pear

A childhood memory for the Chef, this dish features the hallmarks of the Belle-Hélène pear - pear and chocolate in a Grand Cru cocoa crème brûlée - twisted with a beer broth (IPA, made at Le Broc). "I give here my personal vision. For the pear, I chose the Angelys variety for its resistance to cooking, its sweetness and juiciness. I use beer and spices to poach the fruit sous-vide, so the tastes blend without dominating each other." When it's time to serve, the Chef swaps the chocolate sauce for a beer and caramelized pear skin sauce. Offbeat, but delicious!

• Where? Rue du Clos de la Chaux 63500 Le Broc
• www.restaurant-origines.fr
• Read Gault&Millau's review of Origines