Poire Belle Hélène

Peel the pears, leaving the stems intact. If using large pears, cut them in half lengthwise and remove the core with a melon baller. For small pears, you can leave them whole. Rub with lemon juice to prevent browning.

In a large saucepan, combine water and sugar. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the pot and add the pod. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add the pears, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently until pears are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15–20 minutes for halves, 25–30 minutes for whole pears. Remove from heat, cool pears in the syrup, then refrigerate until cold.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chopped chocolate and butter together, stirring occasionally. Once smooth, whisk in the heavy cream until glossy and combined. Keep warm over low heat, or reheat gently when ready to serve.

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sliced almonds until golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan frequently. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Place one scoop of vanilla ice cream in each of four shallow serving bowls or plates. Arrange the poached pear halves or whole pears beside or on top of the ice cream. Spoon warm chocolate sauce generously over the pears and ice cream. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve immediately.