Tidings Magazine

This classic French dessert was created in the 1870s, inspired by the “belle Hélène,” the handsome title character of an opera by Jacques Offenbach — the original composer of French cancan music. While poaching fruit may seem like something you’d reserve for newborns and nursing homes, you’ll be singing (and possibly cancanning) when you see the result, as delicious as it is visually stunning. This recipe is adapted from a beautiful and elegant book, The Seven Sins of Chocolate.