French recipes to bring a bit of joie de vivre to your summer

If you love Boursin, you’re going to love these summery recipes from French chef Manon Lagrève

Lagrève’s recipes are inspired by her French upbringing (Debby Lewis-Harrison)

French culture has long captivated British hearts, from the allure of croissants and baguettes to the sophistication of French icons like Monet and Coco Chanel. Recent research reveals that a vast majority of Brits (76 per cent) yearn to indulge in the French way of life, appreciating not only its culinary delights but also the enchanting “joie de vivre” that defines French living.

In response to this burgeoning admiration, Boursin, the beloved cheese brand, has teamed up with Great British Bake-Off star and French chef Manon Lagrève to infuse a bit of French charm into British summers.

“There are so many wonderful things to appreciate about France but shared moments over food and the convivality of dining is where the true essence of French culture comes alive,” says Lagrève. “This is what Boursin symbolises to me. It’s one of my favourite French ingredients and something I’ve grown up with.

“The recipes I’ve created have been inspired by my French upbrining and recent road trip around the different regions of France.”

Boursin summer recipes

Boursin tartes provençale

(Debby Lewis-Harrison)

Makes: 15 mini tarts, 4/5cm round

Ingredients:

For the shortbread:

175g of plain flour

50g Boursin Garlic & Herbs

1 tbsp freshly chopped rosemary

1/4 tsp Maldon salt

110g salted butter, cubed at room temperature

For the beetroots:

300g of fresh small beetroots, sliced

1 tbps olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tbsp water

To serve:

100g mini courgettes, sliced

1 lemon

½ Maldon salt

100g Boursin Garlic & Herbs

Fresh dill

Lavender honey or regular honey

Method:

1. To make the shortbread, add the flour, chopped rosemary, Boursin and salt to a food processor and mix for 30 seconds. Add the cubed butter and mix for another 30 seconds for the dough to come together. Add 1 tsp of water is still powdery.

2. Make a bowl with the dough and keep in the fridge for 30min. Pre heat the oven to 180C.

3. To make the caramelised beetroots, simply add the sliced beetroots to a baking tin, add the olive oil, glaze balsamic, sugar and mix together with your hands to coat the beetroots. Bake for 45 min to 1h until they feel soft and mix them half way through the bake for an even bake.

4. To finish the shortbread, flour a worktop and roll the dough to a 7mm thick and use a cookie cutter to make 5 cm biscuits. Place on a lined baking sheet and cook for 12 minutes at 180C until golden. Set aside to cool.

5. To whip the Boursin topping, place it in a bowl and use an electric mixer to whip it for 2 minutes. Add to a piping bag with a round nozzle and set aside.

6. Finally, for the courgette, place in a bowl with the lemon juice and the salt.

7. To assemble, pipe a layer of the whipped Boursin on top of a biscuit, add a layer of beetroot, then pipe another dot of whipped Boursin, and place a few more small beetroot slices and mini courgette on top. Garnish with some fresh dill and drizzle with the lavender honey.

Moules à la Boursin

(Debby Lewis-Harrison)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3L/500g fresh moules

100g salted butter

4 or 5 shallots

200ml dry white wine

100g Boursin Garlic & Herbs

Salt and pepper

For the rosemary frites:

750g potatoes

40ml vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp dry rosemary

Method:

1. Start by making the frites. Peel and cut your potatoes, then place in a bowl of hot water for 20 minutes to soak. Pat dry the frites, and place on a large baking tray (or 2 medium ones) as you only want one layer.

2. Pre heat the oven to 220C fan oven. Add the vegetable oil, salt, rosemary and garlic and mix together with your hands to coat the frites. Bake for 40 minutes, turning the frites a couple of times in between.

3. Thinly cut and dice the shallots. Melt the butter in a large pan and fry the shallots on medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes until soft. Deglaze with the white wine and cook off the alcohol for 3 minutes.

4. Pour all of the moules and cover your pan for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the cover and use a wooden spatula to mix the moules together.

5. Add the Boursin and use the spatula to melt it into the sauce and the moules. The moules are cooked when the shells have all opened. Serve promptly.

Boursin truffle croque monsieur

(Debby Lewis-Harrison)

Serves: 4 (or 8 as small bites)

Ingredients:

1 large sourdough bread, thinly sliced

100g Boursin Truffle

100g salted butter, softened

200g champignon de Paris mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 slices of Serrano ham (of parma ham)

Ground pepper

For the vinaigrette (to make a jar):

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp salt and 1 tbsp pepper

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

5 tbsp virgin vegetable oil

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp water

For the croque sauce topping:

20g butter

20g plain flour, sieved

250ml milk

1tsp of Dijon mustard (optional)

50g Truffle Boursin

Mixed leaves to serve

Method:

1. In a large pan, cook the champignon de Paris for 5 min until softened and set aside.

2. To make one Croque monsieur, take two thin slices of the bread, butter each sides with the butter. Add ¼ of the Boursin (you can use a fork and a bowl to soften it before spreading) on top of both slice, top one slice with ¼ of the mushrooms, a slice of serrano ham and close the croque monsieur with the other Boursin buttered slice.

3. Bring the same pan to medium to high heat and place the croque in the middle. Cook 3 min on each side or until golden, using a spatula to push it down and cook thoroughly.

4. Slice in two (or in 4 or 6 if served as bites)

5. To make the sauce topping, heat the milk in a small pan. Meanwhile melt the butter in another pan and stir in the flour until cooked through and paste-like in consistency. Gradually add the warm milk to the paste a little at a time whisking continuously.

6. Once you have a thick sauce remove from the heat and stir in 50g of the Boursin and the mustard if using.

7. Spread the sauce over the top of the croque monsieur, crumble over some of the remaining Boursin and grill until bubbling and golden. Serve with the salad and vinaigrette

Boursin salade d’asperges

(Debby Lewis-Harrison)

Ingredients:

500g asparagus

200g cooked puy lentils

75g roasted chopped hazelnuts

1 pack Boursin Minis

A handful of chopped chives

For the dressing:

1 lemon

A handful of fresh basil

A handful of fresh parsley

1 tbsp French mustard

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp virgin oil

½ tsp Maldon salt

½ ground pepper

1 tbsp ground almond

Method:

1. To cook the asparagus, prepare a bowl with icy cold water and set aside. Bring some water to a boil with 1 tbsp of salt in a large pan. Add the asparagus and cook for 5-6 minutes, until you can insert a knife easily into an asparagus. Drain the water and pour the asparagus into the icy water for about 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.

2. To make the dressing, simply add all the ingredients to a food processor to make a smooth dressing.

3. Plate the salad in an oval dish, laying the asparagus, sprinkling the puy lentils, roasted hazelnuts, and pour over generously some dressing. Top with the Boursin Minis and some freshly chopped chives.

Boursin seasonal summer poulet roti

(Debby Lewis-Harrison)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1.5kg organic farm chicken

4 yellow onions

2 tbsp soften salted butter

6 garlic cloves

2 spring of rosemary

1 laurel leave

1 tbsp Maldon salt

1 tbsp ground black pepper

100ml water

150g Boursin Garlic & Herbs

3 large, ripened peaches, plumbs, apricots, cherries

2 tbsp maple syrup

¼ tsp maldon salt

¼ ground pepper

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Season the inside of the chicken with the salt and pepper. Thinly chop one of the onions then mix it with the Boursin in a bowl. Stuff the chicken with the Boursin and use some kitchen string to close off the bottom of the chicken (to ensure the stuffing stays in).

2. Brush the chicken with the soften butter, season again with salt and pepper and place on large roasting tin with the stone fruits

3. Quarter the rest of the onions, crush the garlic and add them around the chicken with the water, rosemary and laurel.

4. Cook the chicken for 1h to 1h15min ( depending on how big your chicken is). Bath it with the juice every 20 minutes and don’t hesitate to cover it with tinfoil if it browns too much.

5. Remove the meat from the carcass and serve the chicken sliced. Spread a base of the Boursin mixture across a platter, chicken placed on top with stoned fruits position around. Drizzle with juices.

Summer savoury Boursin velvety mille feuille

(Debby Lewis-Harrison)

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 sheet of ready made puff pastry

200g of tapenade (Recipe or shop bought)

6 peppers (different colours)

1 tsp of oregano

125g/1 Boursin Velvety Garlic & Herbs

3 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper

50g walnuts (crushed)

1 egg yolk

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180C fan oven. Roll the puff pastry flat on a baking sheet, prick it with a fork and brush the egg yolk over. Cook for 20 minutes until golden.

2. Wash and prepare the peppers, slicing them in four or six. Place flat on a large baking sheet, and drizzle with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and oregano and place in the oven for 20min. Once cooked, quickly put in a glass bowl and cover it to seal it with a plate and leave it for 10min. This will steam the peppers and help you remove the skin. Remove the skin from the peppers and set aside.

3. Transfer the Boursin Velvety into a piping bag and open it to make a 1cm hole.

4. To assemble the mille feuille, cut the sheet of puff pastry in 3 equal parts, spread half of the tapenade on one sheet, pipe some round dots on top with the piping bag and finally make a layer with half of the peppers and crushed walnuts. Repeat on the second layer of pastry and top with the last layer of puff pastry.

5. Decorate with a few dots of the Boursin velvety and herbs.