Wednesday, October 19, 2011

TASTE-HOMEMADE BOURSIN CHEESE

We've been on a cheese kick at home recently. A pre-dinner tray of Parmigiano- Reggiano, a wedge of farm fresh Blue Cheddar from Mecox Bay Dairy and a little dish of Boursin cheese seems to satisfy the masses until dinner time. It's always the Boursin that seems to go first. It must be that delicious mix of garlic and herbs that makes the creamy cheese so utterly addictive. Unfortunately, the pricey cheese never lasts for more than a few days at our house so I decided to try to make my own version. This recipe is great--the spread is easy to make and tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to develop. I've also included my recipe for Pasta with Boursin and Spinach-try it, you will love it!


Homemade Boursin

Ingredients-
2 cloves garlic
8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon marjoram, fresh or dried
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1/4 teaspoon thyme, fresh or dried
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dill weed
Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor and 
process until smooth and well combined.
Spoon mixture into a small serving bowl and chill 

overnight.
Serve at room temperature.



Pasta with Spinach and Boursin

15 min. serves 2 for main course  

1 Package frozen chopped spinach (10 oz.)
1/2 small onion chopped
1 package Boursin cheese
1/2 lb. spaghetti
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
pinch of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil pasta according to package directions
2. Saute onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add Boursin and parmigiano cheese over low heat to melt.
4. Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce and incorporate.
5. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
6. Squeeze excess water out of thawed spinach and add to sauce.
7. Toss the spinach sauce with pasta and serve with additional parmigiano cheese.


16 comments:

Belle on Heels said...

ummm...double yum!! thanks for sharing :)

Splendid Sass said...

Thank you,thank you, Barbara! It goes at my house too!
Copied and pasted this for my files.
Have a nice Wednesday.
Teresa
xoxo

The enchanted home said...

Probably not smart that I am seeing this on an empty stomach and I am seriously an incurable cheese fanatic, LOVE cheese and anything with it! Parmigiano is my fave and the sharper the better...bring it on!!

Both of these recipes look and sound incredible and you can be sure I am printing these out as I type this to try!!

Anonymous said...

thank you HH- I have never seen a recipe for boursin cheese spread. Great to have and for the pasta too.

Splendid Market said...

Oh my gosh ~ thank you for this. My family loves the taste of boursin, but it always seems too "packaged". I'll bet the fresh version is so much better and you could use a variety of herbs.

Want to hear something scary, I actually have some homemade cream cheese in the refrigerator I need to use. Cream cheese is easy to make and it tastes so much better than the packaged. I use in for frosting cinnamon rolls. I'll be sharing those recipes soon. I might make yours today ~ oh, and that PASTA ~ yum!

Unknown said...

Yum!!!!! I love, love cheese and must try that recipe. Thanks for sharing a good thing!!!

xo Elizabeth

Town and Country House said...

Thanks so much! I will be serving this before dinner this weekend!

Sell WoW Accounts said...

that looks really delicious!

CDS said...

This is really mouth watering!! WOW!!

THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...

Boursin is my absolute favorite cheese! It's true we can't keep it in the house for long either. It's too addictive! I'd love to give this recipe a try. And I never thought to put it on pasta before. Brilliant! :) xoxo

Acquired Objects said...

Our local green grocer just put in a new cheese counter so guess who has been eating cheese as if it's going out of style? That pasta looks and sounds amazing and I'm going to try it out on Saturday night. Boursin always goes fast at my home too so I'm going to try your alternative as well.

Taylor Greenwalt said...

Ummmmm is right! Sounds so good!

Kathleen said...

I will have to give that a try! Thanks.
Looks like it will be another gorgeous weekend here in Southampton. Enjoy!

Mary Ann Pickett said...

Wow...have to try this. You always have SUCH great ideas!

red ticking said...

have never tried the garlic but so addicted to the pepper version... have to try this... you know you are killin me with all of these temptations! xo

Splendid Market said...

HH~ I made the Boursin and it is fabulous!! I just used whatever herbs were left in the garden. The green color was perfect for molding into skull shapes for a halloween cocktail party. I also made the pasta, what a great base for fabulousness! I didn't have spinach, but used tomatoes and ribbons of basil...amazing.

I shared my recipe for homemade cream cheese and posted a link to your recipe today!! Thank you.