Poached Pears with Hot Chocolate, Rum & Raisin Sauce

Ingredients (serves 4)
1/2 cup caster sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
4 small beurre bosc pears
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 tbs dark rum
1/2 cup good-quality dark chocolate
3/4 cup pure (thin) cream
Crumbled amaretti biscuits, to serve

Directions:
Place sugar, juice, vanilla pod and seeds in a pan with 2 cups water. Place on the cooktop at the highest setting, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring just to the boil, then reduce heat to level 3 and simmer while you prepare pears. Peel, halve and core pears, leaving stems intact. Poach in the simmering liquid for 6-8 minutes (depending on ripeness) until softened.
Leave pears to cool in the liquid. For sauce, soak raisins in rum for 15 minutes. Stir chocolate and cream, in a small saucepan at level 3 on the cooktop, until smooth. Stir in rum and raisins. Serve pear halves drizzled with warm sauce, and top with crumbled amaretti