Q: I recently saw a recipe that called for Boursin cheese. What is that? And since the recipe didn’t specify a flavor, which one should I get?

A: Boursin is a brand name for a creamy spread that’s a little like crumbly cream cheese. It was created in 1963 by a Frenchman named Francois Boursin and it used to be made only in France. These days, it’s made in America by Unilever.

It comes in a number of flavors, including garlic and herb (the most common), pepper, shallot and chive and roasted red pepper. Since your recipe is for a pasta dish, any of the flavors would be fine, particularly the garlic and herb.

You can make a homemade version of Boursin by beating 16 ounces of cream cheese and 8 ounces of butter with 1 to 2 teaspoons of mixed, dried herbs and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic. It will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.