QUESTION: Can I make a creme anglais that I can pipe on a dessert?

ANSWER: There are a number of classic pastry creams used in baking. If you’ve ever had an eclair, you’ve had creme pattiserie - AKA pastry cream. Creme anglais is usually so soft that’s more of a custard sauce, usually served over fruit.

In its classic form, it would be too soft to pipe. But you can make a sort of hybrid cake icing with it. You simply chill it, then beat heavy cream until it holds soft peaks and fold that into the cold custard. That would make something thick enough to hold its shape when you pipe it out.

QUESTION: 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?

ANSWER: 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 only be made 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.