Baked Pears with Dried Cherries and Pecans

Ingredients

4 pears, peeled and halved

Juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1/4 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1 Tablespoon plus 1/2 cup GOLDEN BLOSSOM HONEY

pinch ground gloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup dark rum or apple juice

4 whole cloves

Honey Tips

Honey Is Magic

In the days before biology and botany were understood, people thought it was a special kind of magic that turned flower nectar into honey.

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Remove core of each pear half with a melon ball cutter making a well in the center. Soak pears in a large bowl of cold water with the juice of ½ lemon while preparing the filling. In a small bowl, combine the dried cherries, pecans, 1 Tablespoon honey, ground cloves and cinnamon. Dry the pears with paper towels and arrange them cut-side up in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Spoon filling mixture into the well of each pear half. Combine the remaining ½ cup honey, rum or apple juice, the juice of 1 lemon and the whole cloves. Pour this mixture around pears. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven, basting every 15 minutes with pan juices for 30-40 minutes, or until pears are tender.