Sweet & Savory Baked Pears with Feta, Honey, and Cranberries
A simple and elegant fall treat that is naturally sweet, salty, and incredibly easy to make, perfect as a dessert or appetizer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 pear halves
Ingredients
Scale
Main ingredients
- 4 ripe but firm pears (Bosc, Anjou, or Bartlett varieties work well.)
- 0.5 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 0.25 cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (A pinch of dried thyme is an acceptable substitute.)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Optional Garnish
- chopped walnuts (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Wash your pears, then carefully slice them in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the core and seeds, creating a little pocket for our delicious filling.
- In a small bowl, toss together the crumbled feta cheese, chopped dried cranberries, fresh thyme leaves, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a good stir.
- Place your pear halves, cut-side up, in a baking dish. Drizzle a little olive oil over each pear half.
- Spoon that lovely feta and cranberry mixture into the hollowed-out core of each pear half. Don’t be shy, fill them up!
- Drizzle the honey generously over the stuffed pear halves. It’s going to caramelize beautifully in the oven.
- Pop the baking dish into your preheated oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. You’re looking for the pears to be nice and tender when you poke them with a fork, and the feta to be slightly softened and bubbly.
- Carefully remove the dish from the oven. If you’re feeling fancy, sprinkle some chopped walnuts over the top. Serve them warm.
Notes
The recipe is naturally gluten-free. For substitutions, goat cheese or blue cheese can be used instead of feta. Pecans, slivered almonds, or pumpkin seeds can replace walnuts. Maple syrup can be used instead of honey. A tiny pinch of red pepper flakes or fresh rosemary can be added to the filling.
Find it online: https://speedydishes.com/baked-pears-feta-cranberry-honey/