Homemade 'Boursin' & some awards...

Whew! The week is almost through, and I think that since I started blogging, this is the longest I've gone without posting! I still haven't finished up all that I need to do, but I just had to share this recipe with you!

If you read my post where I shared seven things about me, you may remember that I said that I have always wanted to learn cheese-making. I guess, in a way, this post is a start toward that dream.

I have loved Boursin ever since I discovered it 4 years ago. That's when it became available here, and even then, only in a few select stores. Unfortunately, now it's gone off the shelves again, and when I manage to find it, it is really expensive. How frustrating! But there's one thing I've learned ever since I started blogging - if you can't find it in a store, you can probably make it at home! And so I did. I won't claim that my recipe tastes exactly like Boursin, but it is pretty darn close and really, REALLY tasty!

Here is my recipe for homemade Boursin, adapted from a recipe on food.com.

Homemade Boursin
Ingredients
6oz (170g) cream cheese, at room temperature
3oz (85g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 medium cloves of garlic
1 tbsp lemon juice (I used bottled lemon juice)
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp chives, finely chopped
1 tbsp dill, finely chopped
1/4 tsp sage, finely chopped
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp cracked pepper

Method
1. Make sure the cream cheese and the butter are both soft. Cream them together until light and fluffy.
2. Grate in the garlic using a very fine grater like the Microplane Fine Grater.
3. Stir in the lemon juice, all the herbs and the pepper.
4. Taste, and add more lemon juice, garlic or pepper, if desired.

To shape the cheese, I lined a round container (which has a lid) with clingfilm. Spoon the cheese into the bowl and smooth the surface making sure you haven't allowed any air bubbles to creep in. Fold the clingfilm over the top of the cheese, and close the container with the lid. Refrigerate until firm. Turn out of the container, peel off the clingfilm and serve. You should let the 'Boursin' sit out for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.

I baked bread for submarine sandwiches, but didn't get any pictures because no one wanted to wait around while I took pictures. Oh well! But we had a delicious grilled chicken, roasted peppers & Boursin submarine sandwiches. The flavors really worked well together!

This spread has many uses. Just serve it with a loaf of good bread or crackers the next time you have friends over, or use it on canapes or hors d'oeuvres at your next dinner party. Use it as a stuffing for chicken roulade or make fresh pasta and use it in a ravioli filling. It's great even as a dip with crudites! Any way you decide to use it, I am sure it will be fabulously tasty.

If you love Boursin as much as I do, I highly recommend this recipe. If you've never heard of Boursin before, but you love cheese, I highly recommend it to you too. Try it - you just might love it! :)

This week, a few of my wonderful blogger friends gave me some awards.

Manu, an incredibly talented blogger who writes Manu's menu, gave me this award. If you haven't visited her site, you totally should! She is so talented and posts some amazing & authentic recipes. Her latest Tamarind Chutney is fantastic!



Then Marguerite, from Cajun Delights, gave me ALL these awards. Her recipes always sound so comforting & absolutely delicious! I'm still drooling over her posts on crab cakes and fried green tomato po'boys! You should go say 'hi' to her from me!



Thanks to all you wonderful people for sharing these awards with me! Today, I honestly have no time to write 7 things about myself. But I want to pass on these awards to a few of my blogger friends.

Kate, from Diethood
Kim, from Livlife
Mary, from Inside a British mum's Kitchen
Gina, from SPCookieQueen
Sandra, from Sandra's Easy Cooking

All of them are absolutely fantastic foodies, and if you don't already visit their blogs, you are totally missing out! Go check them out!

Technorati Tags: Cheese, Homemade, Boursin, Recipe, Dips