Boursin

Ingredients (for the base) 24oz (3 blocks) regular cream cheese (do not use low fat), well-softened at room temp ¾C (1½sticks) butter, well-softened at room temp Ingredients (for the seasoning) 1½t Beau Monde* seasoning (made by Spice Islands) 3 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced ¾t Herbes de Provence 3t dried parsley 3t water ¾t red wine vinegar ¾t Worcestershire sauce Directions 1. In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, whip cream cheese and butter together until smooth and fluffy. 2. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together all the rest of the seasonings until well combined. 3. Pour the seasoning mixture into the dairy mixture and continue whipping with hand mixer until well combined. 4. Using a Large 6-cup muffin tin, line each tin with a muffin foil (or paper, which I have never tried). Scoop the mixture into each of the cups, filling all the way to the top and smoothing over with a spatula. Put the extra mixture in a ramekin and enjoy it with crackers tonight! 5. Place a sheet of plastic wrap over the tin and press down and smooth over each Boursin cake so that no surface is exposed to air. Refrigerate over night. 6. The next day, remove the plastic wrap and turn the 6 cakes out onto a clean surface. Wrap each one individually, and tightly, in plastic wrap and place in the freezer. If you have a vacuum sealer you can seal them later, a day after they have frozen, but it is not necessary. You can also just put them in a big zippered plastic bag. 7. When defrosting for serving, peel off the foil before placing in a ramekin to defrost. You can defrost on the counter for several hours, or overnight in the fridge. If using the fridge method, nuke for 10-12 seconds before serving. Notes * It is worth investing in a bottle of Beau Monde. I use it exclusively for making Boursin, but I have had the same bottle for 5 years and it is just fine. Chive&Shallot Boursin: Make the base, then, instead of the above seasonings, add: 1T fresh chives (dried OK, but fresh are better), minced 1T shallots, minced ¼t salt ¼t pepper Credits: This recipe came to me from my first mother-in-law (a wonderful woman!). It was a photo copy from one of her cookbooks, apparently titled "With Love From Your Kitchen" (page 145). I could find no reference to it in an internet search. Tags: cheese, appetizer Original Post Date: 2021