Baked Pears Feta Honey Cranberries (Printable Version)
Oven-baked pear halves stuffed with feta, honey, cranberries and walnuts for a warm, elegant sweet-savory finish.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pears
01 - 4 ripe but firm pears
→ Filling
02 - 3.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
03 - 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
04 - 2 tablespoons walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
05 - 2 tablespoons honey, plus extra for drizzling
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
→ Garnish
08 - Fresh mint leaves
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
02 - Halve the pears lengthwise and scoop out the core and seeds, creating a small cavity in each half.
03 - In a small bowl, combine the crumbled feta cheese, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts (if using), 2 tablespoons honey, ground cinnamon, and lemon zest. Mix until evenly incorporated.
04 - Arrange the pear halves cut side up in the prepared baking dish. Generously fill each cavity with the feta mixture.
05 - Drizzle a little extra honey over each stuffed pear half.
06 - Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pears are tender and the edges are lightly caramelized.
07 - Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh mint leaves before serving warm.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- It takes almost no effort but looks like something you would see at a fancy dinner party.
- The combination of salty feta, sweet honey, and tart cranberries is genuinely addictive.
02 -
- Overripe pears will turn to mush in the oven, so choose ones that yield just slightly when pressed near the stem.
- Underfilling the cavity looks sad on the plate, so be generous and mound the filling up.
03 -
- A melon baller is the single best tool for scooping pear cores cleanly and evenly every time.
- Warm the honey slightly before drizzling so it flows in a thin, even stream rather than clumping.