Archive for November, 2011

Almond Poires Belle Hélène — Oven-Poached Pears with Almond Filling and Chocolate Sauce

Poires belle Hélène is a classic French dessert of poached pears served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. This recipe adds a decadent twist by oven-poaching the pears and stuffing each with a luscious hunk of almond paste, then further guilds the lily by adding a dollop of Provence lavender honey to the chocolate sauce, its subtle floral notes enhancing the flavor of the pears.

Quick Lobster Bisque

An elegant starter to a company meal, or a quick and delicious dinner when simply accompanied by a salad and bread. Making a shellfish bisque from scratch is time-consuming, what with boiling the shells for flavor, straining them out of the stock, etc. Starting with Perard’s Lobster Soup makes preparing a creamy bisque a snap: add chunks of poached lobster, a touch of cream, and a decadent sprinkle of minced black truffles to creates a stunning dish in minutes.

Grapefruit and Shaved Fennel Salad

Light, cool and crunchy, fennel is a perfect complement to rich autumn dishes. Grapefruit and mustard add piquancy to the mellow, mildly licorice flavor of the fennel. The salad will be different if prepared with a mandoline vs hand-slicing the fennel: shaved, the fennel becomes thin enough to drape in succulent ribbons over the citrus and greens; sliced, it makes a crisp counterpoint to the buttery lettuce and juicy grapefruit.