Chocolate Sauce For Pears Belle Helene

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Nigella's version of Pears Belle Helene (from HOW TO EAT) has a coffee-chocolate sauce that is poured over tinned pears and vanilla ice cream. The sauce is very versatile and can be used for ice cream sundaes or drizzled over crepes or other desserts. The sauce can also be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a week. It will become thicker as it cools and chills, so warm the sauce gently before using it if you need a thinner consistency.

If this is your first time making a chocolate sauce then bear in mind that it is quite easy to overheat chocolate and then the chocolate can turn grainy. So you may find it easier to dissolve the sugar in the coffee first then add the chocolate to the saucepan and stir over a very low heat, adding the cream while you can still see some small pieces of unmelted chocolate in the saucepan and taking the pan off the heat as soon as the sauce is warm and smooth.