96. Ricotta cheese with herbs - recipe

Ricotta cheese with herbs

Boursin garlic & fine herbs cheese was one of the staples in my kitchen. I used to buy the triple packs from Costco. Boursin makes a delicious substitute for bearnaise sauce - I would spread a big blob over a grilled steak and broil it for a minute. The garlicky, herby cheese would melt over the steak. Perfect! Also it is great for a quick snack with crackers or stuffed under the skin of a chicken to be roasted.

I haven't eaten Boursin since I started the South Beach Diet. I know that Boursin is not part of the South Beach Diet Meal plan, though I notice that they have a low-fat version. Is low-fat Boursin allowed?

I am not a fan of low-fat ricotta and have not tried the desserts made with it. I miss Boursin and decided to make the ricotta resemble Boursin, if possible. The marinade is the one I used for grilled chicken and beef. You may use any herb combination as you please. Here is my doctored up ricotta cheese and it tastes pretty good:

Ingredients: Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup of skim-milk ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons of chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon of chopped lemongrass
1/2 teaspoon of chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon of chopped garlic (garlic was cooked in microwave for about 30 seconds)
Some lemon or lime zest
Salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
A wedge of low-fat Laughing Cow cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Put the ricotta in a sieve to drain.
   
2. Pound the herbs into a paste in a pestle and mortar.
3. Put the cheese in with the herbs and blend together with a wooden spoon or spatula.
4. Put a wedge of low-fat Laughing Cow cheese and blend together.
   
5. Pack the cheese into a ramekin.
6. Serve with vegetables.
   

Note: I added the Laughing Cow cheese as the mix was too crumbly. It helped to hold the mix together.

South Beach Meal Plan:

1/2 cup of ricotta is a serving. One wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese is allowed for a snack.This ricotta herb mix is very versatile. Put some in an omelette, as a sauce for grilled fish or meat or thin it down and use as a salad dressing.

The herb ricotta fills a ramekin and one can eat it all day long!

This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging . Come on over to visit Laurie at, the intriguing blog, Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska to get ideas for cooking herbs and vegetables.