Recipe - Pears Helene

2 cup Water
2/3 cup Sugar
3 Pears; ripe
1 teaspoon Almonds; chopped (opt)
Vanilla ice cream (opt)
Chocolate sauce:
2 Chocolate squares
1 tablespoon Butter
One fourth cup Water; boiling
Three fourths cup Sugar
2 tablespoon Corn syrup
1 pn Salt
2 teaspoon Vanilla

Pears: Combine water and sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil. Simmer
uncovered 5 minutes. Meanwhile pare, halve and core pears. Place halves cut
side down in syrup and simmer till tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from
heat, add vanilla and cool in syrup about 1 hour. (Pears may be cooked
ahead of time and held in refrigerator till ready to serve.) Sauce: Melt
chocolate and butter in double boiler (or in microwave). Gradually stir in
boiling water, sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place top of double boiler
directly over heat and bring to boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat
and flavour to taste. This sauce will keep in tightly covered container in
fridge about 3 days. Reheat before serving. Serve over ice cream or Pears
Helene. Pears Helene: Arrange cooked pear halves (can place on top of
vanilla ice cream if desired) and spoon hot chocolate sauce on top. Granish
with chopped almonds if desired and serve immediately.

Source: The Five Roses Cookbook

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini