Artist vibha cooking by the river.

Photograph courtesy the artist

Photograph courtesy the artist

Talking Dreams: A Conversation With Vibha Galhotra

Triennial Staff
07/16/2020

Asia Society Triennial artistic director Boon Hui Tan caught up with artist Vibha Galhotra in the second installment of Talking Dreams, our series of conversations and studio visits on Instagram Live with Triennial artists. Galhotra graciously welcomed us into her Delhi home, took us on a tour of her art collection, and even whipped up Poire Belle Hélène — pears poached in a spiced syrup. If you missed it live, we've embedded the full conversation here.

And for those of you asking, we've also got the recipe for her Poire Belle Hélène. Bon appétit!

Poire Belle Hélène (poached pears in spiced syrup)

Ingredients:
4 Bosc pears, peeled, stem still attached, bottom sliced off so pears can easily sit upright
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 star anise
4—5 saffron flakes
1 red chilli, halved lengthwise

In a saucepan just large enough to fit all of the pears, add sugar, lemon juice, star anise, saffron, and chilli all together. Cover the pan and bring it to boil for 10-15 minutes, until the pears can easily be pierced with a fork or knife. Serve each pear with a spoonful of syrup and if serving hot, garnish with a little powdered star anise. Or as I like it, eat cold with a little chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Poached pear dessert with chocolate sauce, vanilla ice cream, and red chili pepper garnish
The finished Poire Belle Hélène. Photograph courtesy of Vibha Galhotra.

Our next conversation features Mina Cheon on Thursday, August 13 at 3 p.m. EDT. See you then!

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