Equipment
Ingredients
Base
- 200 g feta cheese, whole block
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
Toppings
- 30 g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 30 ml honey
- 2 g fresh thyme, leaves picked from stems
- black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 238 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbohydrates
- 9 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 571 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 8 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Cholesterol
- 45 mg
- Potassium
- 73 mg
- Calcium
- 257 mg
- Iron
- 0.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 23 mg
- Phosphorus
- 195 mg
- Zinc
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 64 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin K
- 4 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.8 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.10 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.44 mg
- Niacin
- 0.6 mg
- Folate
- 24 mcg
- Water
- 30 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Place the block of feta cheese into the center of a small baking dish. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil evenly over the cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the feta is extremely soft to the touch and the edges are just beginning to take on a light golden color.
While the cheese bakes, place the walnuts on the cutting board and roughly chop them with the chef's knife.
Remove the baking dish from the oven. While the feta is still bubbling and hot, immediately drizzle the honey over the top. Scatter the chopped walnuts and fresh thyme leaves over the honey, and finish with freshly cracked black pepper. Serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- True Greek feta will soften and become incredibly creamy under heat, but it will never melt into a puddle like mozzarella. Expect it to retain its block shape.
- For an extra layer of flavor, lightly toast the chopped walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes before scattering them over the finished dish.
- The residual heat of the baking dish is crucial. Serve this appetizer directly in the vessel it was baked in to keep the cheese creamy for as long as possible.
- Provide a robust, crusty sourdough or toasted pita bread on the side. The bread is essential for mopping up the mingled honey, olive oil, and salty cheese whey at the bottom of the dish.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container once completely cooled.
Reheating: Reheat gently in the oven at 150C/300F for 10 minutes until warmed through and softened. Avoid microwaving, which turns the cheese rubbery.
Troubleshooting
Feta remains firm and does not soften
Cause: Using a low-fat or cow milk imitation feta, which has a different protein structure and water content.
Fix: Continue baking for an additional 5 minutes, but accept that the texture will remain somewhat crumbly.
Prevention: Always source full-fat, traditional feta made with sheep milk or a blend of sheep and goat milk.
Honey burns and turns bitter
Cause: Adding the honey before the baking process rather than after.
Fix: Cannot be fixed if burnt.
Prevention: Always add delicate sugars like honey after the high-heat roasting phase is complete.
Cultural Context
Known in Greece as Feta Me Meli, this preparation highlights the fundamental Mediterranean culinary principle of balancing aggressive, briny flavors with rich sweetness. Traditionally, the feta is sometimes wrapped in phyllo dough before baking and drizzling with honey, but this bare-baked version achieves the same harmonious contrast of sweet, salty, and savory with much less effort.
