Warm Honey & Walnut Baked Pears w/ Vietnamese Cinnamon (+ Cinnamon Tutorial)

This simple dessert can be assembled in about five minutes and out of the oven in 30. It fills your kitchen with the wonderful aroma of cinnamon while you wait for the delicious combination of warm honey, walnuts and sweet pear to be ready. 

Cinnamon Tutorial: Bon Appétit features an article this month called "The Life of a Spice" where Chef Antara Sinha explains that not all cinnamon tastes the same. The two main types are Ceylon (from Sri Lanka, delicate floral flavor, harder to source) and Cassia (more intense flavor, most often on grocery shelves). Either one can be used in sweet or savory dishes. Personally, I like the Vietnamese version of the cassia cinnamon with its "especially sweet, honey quality" that holds up well in baked goods. 

My Paleo Marin Rating: 5 Persimmons*

Grocery List:

2 pears, preferably ripe and plump

Vietnamese Cinnamon

Walnuts

Honey, preferably local if available for the health benefits

Ingredients:

2 large ripe pears (I used Bosch)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Vietnamese

1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

4 tablespoons honey, or enough to drizzle over all pear halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment paper.

1. Wash, dry and cut pears in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a melon scope or spoon. Take a small sliver off on the bottom if necessary to allow the pear to sit upright. 

2. Put the cinnamon in a sifter (I used a tea strainer) and sprinkle the powder over the pear halves. Distribute the walnuts over the pears. Drizzle the honey generously over everything.

3. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Serve.

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Recipe adapted from Recipes Masters on Facebook.

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.