Roasted Baby Pears with Herbed Goat Cheese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 24 appetizer portions
1/2 pound goat cheese
1/4 C chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, thyme, and chives
2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 baby pears
12 slices bacon, about 1/2 pound, cut in half
2 TBSP honey
arugula for garnish
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese, herbs, and 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Halve the pears and scoop out the seeds and cores. Stuff each pear half wtih about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Wrap each stuffed pear with a slice of bacon and place it on a baking sheet. Drizzle some olive oil over the pears and season them with salt and pepper.
Bake until the pears are tender and the bacon is crisp, about 25 - 30 minutes. Place the pears on a platter, drizzle with honey, and garnish with arugula.
Courtesy Food Network/Tyler Florence.
My comments: OH MY GOD THESE ARE SO GOOD. They are so good that I made them for both Thanksgiving AND Christmas last year and had NO leftovers. Even my incredibly picky children ate them. REALLY, REALLY yummy. I didn't bother garnishing the platter with arugula, but definitely drizzle them lightly with honey or agave nectar.