Brie

This is basically a classy open-faced pizza.

Brie is even more indulgent when warm and covered with mushrooms. Serve this appetizer on a cold evening with a big red wine.

We love the contrast of sliced almonds and golden-brown cauliflower against the risotto’s Brie-amplified creaminess.

Broiling the tomatoes adds rich flavor to the sandwich.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Kimberly Kennedy's The Art and Craft of Entertaining. For Kennedy's baby shower tips click here.

Brie coats the rigatoni like a creamy pasta sauce.

These delicious ravioli come from the hot Buenos Aires restaurant Social Paraiso. Freezing the Brie for 20 minutes will make trimming the rind easier.

Although pure maple syrup is a tried-and-true accompaniment to waffles, we've come up with something a little different for the following recipe. Here you'll find a choice of a savory topping as well as a sweet one.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For this easy appetizer, you'll remove the top rind of the wheel of Brie, then top with a juicy mix of raspberry preserves, raspberries, and fresh rosemary. Wrapping and baking in store-bought puff pastry makes the combination elegant, gooey, and crisp. If you're looking for more Brie cheese inspiration, check out our gallery of Brie recipes.

These versatile quesadilla can be passed as hors d'oeuvres, or offered at dinner as a first course or at lunch as the entrée.

Although four mini-muffin pans are called for, each containing twelve 1 3/4-by-1 inch cups, you could also make these tartlets in batches using two pans. When making the dough, work quickly to prevent the phyllo from drying out and the butter from hardening.

Reminiscent of fondue, this rich appetizer is lovely served alongside an assortment of crudités and your favorite mulled wine. Be sure to order the uncut wheel of cheese from a cheese shop or specialty foods store.

Grapes marinated in Port with rosemary and them combined with the mild garlic and the creamy cheese lead to an inventive appetizer. Use both red and green grapes for a pretty presentation.

If you are not able to find Pont l'Evêque cheese, either Taleggio or Brie would also work well in this lovely starter from Charlie Trotter's in Chicago.