Home-made Boursin-style Cheese Spread

If you haven't tasted Boursin (R), you're missing something. Boursin is a spreadable cow's milk cream cheese that comes in five flavors. My fave is flavored with garlic and herbs. It's great as a spread on a crusty baguette or on crackers or stuffed into jalapeño poppers. It is also wonderful as a sauce dolloped on a hot steak, asparagus, or in with mashed potatoes. Boursin was created in 1957 by Francois Boursin, a cheesemaker in Normandy, France. The brand is now owned by multi-national Unilever. You can buy Boursin in many groceries, but it is fairly easy to make something similar at home for a fraction of the cost.

Boursin Recipe

Yield. 8 ounces
Preparation time. 10 minutes
Ageing time. 4 hours or more is best

Ingredients
8 ounce brick of cream cheese (you can use low fat) or spreadable
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground and finely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fines herbes (Fines herbes is a classic mix you can buy in a bottle. It contains parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil, and occasionally marjoram)

Optional. Add 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder.

Method
1) Let the cheese sit at room temp for about an hour to make it easy to mix. Low fat or spreadable cream cheese are easy to work in 15 minutes or less. Or microwave it for 10 seconds to soften it.

2) Blend in the seasonings with a fork. Let it age in the fridge for 4 hours or more if possible. This allows the oil-soluble flavors in the herbs to be extracted and marry with the cheese.

3) It is easier to spread on breads and crackers at room temperature. If there is any left over, plop it onto some plastic wrap and roll it into a ball with the plastic tight against it and refrigerate.

This page was revised on 8/5/07

Please please please read this before posting a comment or question:

1) Please use the table of contents or the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.
2) Please click the "Follow Conversation" button or the "Email" button below your comment so you will be alerted when we reply.
3) Please don't ask any questions that involve temperature unless you tell us that you are using a digital thermometer! Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F! If you are not using a good digital you have no idea what the temp really is so we can't help you. Please read this article about thermometers, then buy one of our recommendations, and then, if the problem persists (chances are it won't), hit us with your questions.
4) Please tell us everything we need to know to answer your question like the type of cooker you are using.

5) If you are shopping for a grill or smoker and need help, tell us your budget!

About this website

AmazingRibs.com is all about the science of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and tips on technique. Learn how to set up your grills and smokers properly, the thermodynamics of what happens when heat hits meat, as well as hundreds of excellent tested recipes including all the classics: Baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, steaks, barbecue sauces, rubs, and side dishes, with the world's best buying guide to barbecue smokers, grills, and accessories, all edited by Meathead.

Advertising on this site

AmazingRibs.com is far the most popular barbecue website in the world and one of the 50 most popular food websites in the US according to comScore and Quantcast. Visitors and pageviews increase rapidly every year. Click here for analytics and advertising info.