Boursin Zucchini Tart

This Boursin Zucchini Tart, baked in flakey puff pastry and scattered with toasted pine nuts, is a tasty dish that is not only delicious, it's pretty!

We first discovered the magic of Boursin when we lived in France back in the early 1990s, when it was still available in only the original garlic and herb version. Now that soft, creamy cheese comes in several flavors, including the original, Cracked Black Pepper, Shallot & Chive, Basil & Chive, and Caramelized Onion and Herbs, Fig & Balsamic and Lemon & Dill. I think there’s even one with truffles, but don’t quote me. 

If you have a box of Boursin, you have the start of a good recipe! And, no, I’m not being paid to say that. In fact, I’d like to tell you that, at least in France, there are store brands of copycat cheese that I often buy instead of the real thing when I’m there, but I’ve never seen that option elsewhere. In addition to the 150g rounds, both the Boursin and store brands also come in little foil-wrapped pats, like butter, perfect for spreading on a slice of warm toast. 

We do have Alouette in the US, which comes close, but no store brands that I’m aware of. Please correct me if I’m wrong! Flavored cream cheese is NOT the same consistency.

Boursin Zucchini Tart

Do not skip the salting, draining and drying steps for the zucchini. They do release a lot of extra liquid which will make your tart crust soggy otherwise. I give the weight of my zucchini below to use as a guide. A little more or less will not make a difference. 

Ingredients

5.3 oz or 150g Boursin, at room temperature

1 egg, at room temperature

freshly ground black pepper

3 zucchini, approx. weight 14 1/2 ox or 411g

Fine sea salt

2 tablespoons finely minced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil

Ready rolled, all butter puff pastry circle, 8 oz or 227g

For garnish:

1/4 cup or 37g pine nuts, optional

Method

Whisk together the Boursin and egg then add a few generous grinds of black pepper. Chill until ready to use. 

Trim the ends off then slice the zucchini thinly. 

Put a single layer in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Add another layer and salt again. Continue until all of the zucchini is salted in the colander. Leave to drain for an hour or even two if you have the time. 

When draining time is up, give the colander a good shake then dry the zucchini off with paper towels. Tip the slices out onto a clean cloth and spread them out. Roll up the cloth and set aside for a few minutes to dry off completely.  

Add the minced garlic and onion into a large mixing bowl with the olive oil. Mix well. 

Add the zucchini to the bowl and toss to coat thoroughly. 

Preheat your oven to 400°F or 200°C.

Unroll the puff pastry with its baking parchment on a baking pan then roll/fold the edges up to create a raised edge. 

Prick it all over with the tines of a fork.

Spread about two-thirds of the Boursin mixture inside the raised edge. 

Starting on the outside, line the tart with the zucchini, overlapping as you go. 

When you’ve used up all of the zucchini, sprinkle any garlic and onions left behind in the bowl on top. 

Drizzle the remainder of the Boursin mixture over the top. 

Bake for 10 minutes in your preheated oven then rotate the pan to ensure even baking and bake for a further 10 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over a medium fire, if using. 

Shake the skillet frequently so they don’t scorch. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. 

When the tart is baked, remove from the oven and cool slightly on a wire rack. 

Slide it to a serving plate then sprinkle on the toasted pine nuts. 

Cut in big wedges to serve. 

Enjoy!

I can hardly believe it but Alphabet Challenge 2025 is coming to an end with this 26th post, brought to you by the letter Z! Stay tuned in the New Year for the 2026 edition. Yes, we all enjoyed this so much that we are going to start over again for the third time on January 7th. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the Z recipes below:

• A Holiday Zaza or Two or Three - Cheers! from Culinary Cam
• Baked Ziti from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Boursin Zucchini Tart from Food Lust People Love: 
•  Grilled Zucchini Bruschetta Bites from Sneha’s Recipe
• Homemade Za’atar Seasoning from Blogghetti
• Lemon Eton Mess from A Messy Kitchen
• Simple Zero Cream Creamy Butternut Squash Soup from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Zacatecas Beef Stew from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Zeppole from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
• Zeytin Piyazi from Mayuri’s Jikoni

Here are all of my posts for the 2025 alphabet challenge:

A: Roasted Asparagus Soup

B: Blistered Sugar Snap Peas

C. Jersey Royal Chicken Chorizo Traybake 

D. Small Batch Dried Apricot Jam 

E. Whipped Espresso Cream 

F. Fish Sauce Roasted Chicken 

G. Extra Herby Gremolata 

H. Smoked Herring Spread 

I.  Fresh Cherry Ice Cream 

J. Small Batch Strawberry Jam 

K. Kiwi Tomato Feta Salad 

L. Lobster Butter 

M. Milk-Roasted Chicken 

N. Nocciolata Swirl Meringues 

O. Jersey Octopus Ceviche 

P. Easy Pastina Soup 

Q. Shrimp and Quail Egg Garden Salad 

R. Celeriac Mash with Scallop Roe Butter 

S. Fresh Scallop Sashimi 

T. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Stuffing 

U. Umeboshi Calamansi Lime Juice

V. Mirabelle Plum Vodka 

W. Welsh Rarebit Potatoes with Cavolo Nero 

X. Homemade XO Sauce 

Y. Yamitsuki Addictive Cabbage 

Z. Boursin Zucchini Tart – this post! 

And to refresh our memories, since this is the last Alphabet Challenge post of the year, here's my list from 2024:

A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing
E: Everything Pizza Tartin
F: Baked Chicken and Feta Meatballs
G: Grape Juice Jigglers
H: Crispy Bacon-wrapped Chicken Hearts
I: Raspberry Rhubarb Ice Cream
J: Java Dry Spice Mix Chops 

K. Korean Barbecue-style Meatballs 

L. Easy Lamb and Fresh Tomato Curry 

M. Fresh Mint Sauce 

N. Miso Butter Noodles 

O. Spicy Orange Braised Short Ribs 

P. Homemade Piri Piri Sauce 

Q, Cointreau Glazed Orange Quick Bread 

R. Leek and Lobster Mushroom Risotto 

S. Cheesy Sausage and Egg Casserole 

T. Stuffed Turkey Cutlets 

U. Spicy Urad Dal -

V. Spicy Vinegar Braised Chicken 

W. Honey Walnut Brittle 

X. Xmas Eggnog Fudge 

Y. Yemma Aouïcha – Eggplant with Chickpeas 

Z. Zucchini and Bacon Pangrattato

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Sweet Cranberry Soda Bread #BreadBakers

Baked with brown sugar and dried cranberries, this sweet cranberry soda bread is delightful as part of a dessert course cheese board. Or all on its own.

This last month of the year, our Bread Baker theme is dessert bread, thanks to our fellow Bread Baker and host, Swathi. 

Her challenge to the group was "Bake any sweet bread, whether yeast, sourdough, or quick version. It will be wonderful to see if you come up with a dessert bread for Christmas. Show your creativity."

Well, my favorite dessert course is actually a cheese platter so I’m always delighted when that is on a restaurant menu. Even better is when they wheel out a special cart and I can choose the few cheeses for my platter. Heaven!

With that in mind, I’ve created a loaf that is slightly sweet, with sweetened dried cranberries as a nod to the Christmas season, that would be perfect to enjoy either plain with butter or with a cheese board as your savory dessert option. 

Sweet Cranberry Soda Bread

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, an easy substitute is 2 teaspoons of white vinegar added to the measuring cup, then topped up with milk to the required 3/4 cup or 80ml line. Stir and let it rest while you get started with the recipe. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups or 312g flour, plus extra for dusting and kneading

1/3 cup, packed, or 66g light brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (cut into pieces)

3/4 cup or 100g sweetened dried cranberries, plus a few more for topping

3/4 cup or 80ml buttermilk

1 large egg

Method

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat your oven to 400℉ or 200°C. Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and the butter piece. Pulse until butter is incorporated and small crumbles are formed.

Pour the flour/butter mixture into a large bowl. Add in the cranberries and use your clean hands to separate the sticky cranberries from each other. 

Add the buttermilk and egg.

Mix until the flour is completely moistened. 

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. 

Knead gently 5 to 10 times, dusting flour lightly onto dough if it’s too sticky. Knead just until the dough comes together and is smooth.

Shape into a round then poke a few extra cranberries into the top of the loaf. 

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. With a sharp knife, slash the top with a large X about ½ in or 1 cm deep. 

Dust the top lightly with a little flour.

Bake until the loaf is golden brown and crusty, 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the X comes out clean. 

Serve warm or at room temperature, preferably as part of a special holiday cheese board.

Enjoy!

It’s the second Tuesday of the month which means, as I mentioned above, it’s time for my Bread Baker friends to share their dessert bread recipes. Many thanks to our host, Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen. Check out the links below 

• Eggnog Babka Knots by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Coconut Pandan Babka by A Messy Kitchen
• Gingerbread by Palatable Pastime
• Sourdough Sweet Potato Loaf by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Sweet Cranberry Soda Bread by Food Lust people Love
• Eggless Oats Litchi Loaf by Sneha's Recipe
• Sourdough Zucchini Bread by A Day in the Life on the Farm

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Pear Crisps

A delightful baked snack and so easy to make, these pear crisps are crunchy, naturally sweet and flavorful. Put out a bowl and watch them disapPEAR. 🍐

Every holiday season, we are gifted with a box of apples, oranges and pears. The apples and oranges get eaten but often the pears languish in the refrigerator since they aren’t really anyone’s favorite fruit. 

But now I’ve found a way to make sure they are enjoyed! Thinly sliced on a mandoline and baked in a slow oven, they come out crispy and delicious. Plus, bonus! If they don’t get eaten right away, they are good for quite a while, stored in an airtight container. 

Pear Crisps

These don’t have any additional ingredients because adding sugar, even a sprinkle, tends to make the pear slices sticky and harder to get crispy. You could add a sprinkle of ground cinnamon which doesn’t affect the moisture levels, if you are so inclined. 

Ingredients

Just-ripe firm pears  – I bake two at a time which fit nicely on my two large pans, once sliced

Method

Preheat your oven to 248°F/230°F fan or 120°C/100°C fan and prepare your baking pans by lining them with baking parchment or silicone liners. 

Trim the bottom of the pears. 

Hold the stem end of each pear and slice (about 1mm thick) as uniformly as possible. This is easiest with a mandoline. You will end up with the little stem ends as the cook’s bonus to eat while the slices bake. 

Lay out the pear slices on the prepared baking pans ensuring that none of the slices are overlapping.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, turn the pear slices over and return them to the oven for a further 1 hour. 

After they have finished cooking, turn the oven off but leave the pans in the oven for a further hour so the pear slices become fully crisp. 

Once completely cooled, the pear crisps should be stored in an airtight container, to keep them crunchy.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we celebrating National Pear Month. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below. 

• Arugula and Pear Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Brûléed Posset-Filled Pears from Culinary Cam
• Gluten free Frangipane Pear Tarts from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
• Pear and Cherry Sourdough Bread from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Pear Crisps from Food Lust People Love
• Protein Packed Winter Veggies & Fruit Salad from Sneha's Recipe
• Roasted Pear & Beet Salad from Amy's Cooking Adventures

 

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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