National Pears Helene Day

Pears Helene is a delicious French dessert made with sliced pears and various toppings such as cinnamon sugar, chocolate sauce, vanilla syrup, and ice cream.

Five Fun Facts:

Pears are a unique fruit in that they ripen best off the tree. As such pears are transported when they’re fully mature, but not always ripe. This assures that pears you buy are in good condition to properly ripen them at home after you buy them.
More than 95% of the pears sold in the United States are grown in Washington, Oregon or Northern California.
There are more than 3,000 varieties of pears grown in the world.
60% of all Bartlett pears grown in the United States come from California.
To judge ripeness apply gentle thumb pressure near the base of the stem. If it yields to gentle pressure it’s ripe.

Five Pear Recipes:

Spiced Anjou Pears – If you’ve never poached a pear before, this is an easy recipe to get you started!
Red Wine Poached Pears– The perfect dessert to elegantly end a meal.
Poached Pears with Vanilla Caramel Sauce and Toasted Peanuts– Although any firm pear will do, this recipe is perfect for long-necked Bosc pears as they hold their shape well during cooking.
Riesling Baked Pears – Here’s an elegant yet simple twist on the autumn classic. Pears are oven-poached in Riesling wine, which is known for its floral accents and aromas and hints of honey and pear. Serve this dessert with lightly sweetened ricotta cheese. Delicious hot, room temperature or chilled.
Orange Ginger Poached Pears – Poached pears are a great lighter alternative to a rich heavy dessert but still have loads of flavor to satisfy the most discerning sweet tooth. Serve with your favorite non-dairy ice cream and experiment poaching different kinds of fruit.