Choose a pan into which the pears will fit, lying on their sides, fairly snugly. Put the cinnamon stick, vanilla pod, zest, star anise and sugar into the pan.

Cut the pith (the white part of the peel; it's very bitter!) off the peeled orange and lemon and discard it. Slice the fruit into rounds. Add them to the pan. Add about 500ml water. Bring very slowly to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Meanwhile, peel the pears but leave the stalks on. Cut a little bit of the base off the pears, this will allow you to stand them up in a bowl later. Place your peeled pears in a bowl of acidulated (see tip), cold water.

Add the pears to the saucepan, adding more water if necessary so that they are just covered. Return to a gentle simmer and cook, until they are tender. This should take between 10 and 20 minutes, but will depend on how ripe your pears were to start with.

Remove the pears from the liquid. Bring the liquid to the boil and cook until it has reduced to a sweet, aromatic syrup.

Meanwhile melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (a bowl over a pan of simmering water). When melted, add 50ml of the syrup and 60ml of the cream. Serve each pear in a small bowl, smother with the chocolate sauce and a little cream.