Boursin® Cheese Cubes with Basil Oil and Balsamic Glaze
Recipe courtesy Christophe Joignant, Executive Chef, Capital City Club, Atlanta, Ga.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for Basil Oil:
- fresh basil - 1 large bunch
- grapeseed oil - 1/2 cup
- extra-virgin olive oil - 1/2 cup
- Ingredients for Boursin Cheese Bites
- eggs - 2 large
- salt - as needed
- Boursin® Professional Frozen Gournay Cheese Cubes, Garlic & Fine Herbs - 2 ozs.
- all-purpose flour - 1 cup
- Italian bread crumbs - 3 cups
- canola oil - as needed
- balsamic glaze - as needed
Instructions
Procedure:
- For the Basil Oil: Wash and strip the basil leaves from the stems. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the basil for about 10 seconds to set the color. Remove to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain the basil and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Press the basil between paper towels to dry as much as possible.
- Place the dry basil in a blender with the grapeseed oil. Process until smooth. Add the olive oil and blend again until smooth. Place in a container and refrigerate for at least 8 hours for the flavors to blend.
- To use the oil, bring it to room temperature. Strain it through a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Squeeze the cheesecloth to extract as much oil as possible. Discard the solids and pour the oil into a squeeze bottle. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 month.
- For the Boursin Cheese Bites: In a bowl, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt.
- Coat the Boursin cubes in the egg and drain the excess. Dredge them in the flour and shake off the excess. Toss them in the bread crumbs. Spread the coated cheese bites on a baking sheet and freeze until just firm, about 15 minutes.
- Heat the oil to 375° F. Working in batches, fry the cheese bites until golden and crisp, about 45 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bites to a paper towel–lined plate and season with salt.
- For each serving, squeeze some basil oil into a Japanese soup spoon and top with a warm Boursin bite. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve warm.