March 15: National Pears Helene Day

Until today, I had never heard of "Pears Helene," also known as "Poires Belles Helene."  Apparently they're poached pears with chocolate sauce, usually served with vanilla ice cream  It sounds delicious, so I may have to try it when pears are in season.  Pears Helene gets its name from an Offenbach opera, according to My French Cuisine.  (There's also a recipe there.)  BBC even gets in on the deliciousness and offers up its own recipe.  And over at Food Network, Nigella Lawson shares her recipe.