noun, feminine/pwaʁ bɛ.l‿e.lɛn/
a dessert made from pears poached in sugar syrup and served with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, and crystallized violets (or, in simpler variations, sliced almonds)
Created around 1870 by Auguste Escoffier and named after Jacques Offenbach's operetta La belle Hélène ("Fair Helen").