Baked Pears with Feta Cranberries (Printable Version)
Tender baked pear halves filled with feta, cranberries, walnuts and honey, brightened with lemon zest and fresh mint.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pears
01 - 4 ripe but firm pears, halved and cored
→ Filling
02 - 3.5 oz feta cheese, crumbled
03 - 3 tbsp dried cranberries
04 - 2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
05 - 2 tbsp honey, plus extra for drizzling
06 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
07 - Zest of 1 lemon
→ Garnish
08 - Fresh mint leaves
# How to Make It:
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 mixing bowl, combine the crumbled feta cheese, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts (if using), 2 tbsp honey, ground cinnamon, and lemon zest. Stir until evenly mixed.
04 - Arrange the pear halves cut side up in the prepared baking dish. Fill each cavity generously with the feta mixture.
05 - Drizzle a little extra honey over the stuffed pears for added sweetness.
06 - Bake for 20–25 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.
# Expert Insights:
01 -
- The sweet and salty contrast between honey glazed pears and briny feta is genuinely addictive and unexpected.
- It looks like it took real effort but the oven does nearly all the work for you.
02 -
- If your pears are rock hard they need closer to 30 minutes so test with a gentle squeeze before removing from the oven.
- Overfilling the cavities causes the cheese to spill and burn on the parchment so pile high but keep it centered.
03 -
- Crumble the feta while it is still cold because warm feta turns pasty and will not distribute as nicely.
- A light sprinkle of flaky sea salt right before serving makes the honey taste exponentially more complex.