Red Wine Poached Pears With Chocolate Filling

• 4 pears, peeled, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 star anise pod (optional)
• 1 (11 ounce) jar chocolate sauce (such as Fran's(R))

1. Cut bottom off each pear and core from the bottom to give each pear a flat bottom to stand upright.
2. Combine wine, water, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and star anise in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and arrange pears on their sides in the saucepan. Simmer pears for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn pears and continue simmering until tender and easily poked with a fork, 8 to 10 minutes. Work in batches if needed.
3. Remove pears from wine mixture and place in a serving dish, standing upright. Continue boiling wine sauce until reduced to about 3/4 cup, 5 to 10 more minutes.
4. Fill each pear's core cavity with chocolate sauce. Pour wine sauce over each pear.

red wine, water, white sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, anise, chocolate sauce

Taken from www.allrecipes.com/recipe/235456/red-wine-poached-pears-with-chocolate-filling/ (may not work)