Easy Holiday Pear Recipes

Some of the best pears you'll ever eat come from Seattle's Metropolitan Market. Dubbed The Holiday Pear, these seasonal fruits come from the Rogue River Valley in Medford, Oregon. They've been grown there for three generations by the Meyers family. What makes them so special? It's mainly the climate of the Rogue Valley, which sees warm days and cool nights. The result is an incredibly soft, sweet pear that you can eat with a spoon. True to its name, you'll only find The Holiday Pear late in the year, starting November 15. Besides eating the pears straight up, there are also easy ways to dress them up as the perfect appetizer for your holiday get-together. If you've got an oven and a few extra ingredients, try out these two recipes. These recipes are very easy. Even if you're not a pro in the kitchen, they should be pretty straightforward. Check out the included video demos for a step-by-step presentation. Let me know what you think! If you have other favorite pear recipes to share, let me know in the comments below!

Baked Pears with Gorgonzola and Walnuts

Ingredients

3 large Holiday Pears

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 cup Gorgonzola cheese

1 cup chopped candied walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Wash pears and slice them in half. Cut out the seeds.
3. Set the pear halves in an oven-friendly dish.
4. Sprinkle dried thyme on the pear halves.
5. Bake pears in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until soft and golden brown.
6. Pull pears out the oven. Sprinkle gorgonzola cheese and chopped walnuts on the pears.
7. Let the pears cool for about 5 minutes. Enjoy them warm!

Baked Pear and Feta Biscuit Bites

Ingredients

1 can of Annie's Organic Flaky Biscuits

1/2 cup of sour creme (or creme fraiche)

2 large Holiday Pears

1/2 cup of feta cheese crumbles

1/2 cup of arugula

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Open the can of biscuits. Lay out individual biscuit dough pieces and cut in half.
3. Smear sour creme (or creme fraiche) on each biscuit half.
4. Slice Holiday Pears into long pieces and place them on raw biscuit dough.
5. Sprinkle feta cheese crumbles on the biscuits.
6. Bake biscuits in the oven at 350°F for 16-20 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Pull biscuits out of the oven. Let cool for a few minutes.
8. Place fresh arugula in the biscuit halves. Enjoy!