Start with a board, then figure out how to label your cheeses. And finally the knives—you’ll want different ones for hard, medium, soft, and crumbly cheeses. Luckily, there are sets that help you remember which is which. With a couple of extras, you’re ready to host your party. Now let the taste-testing begin!

These individually-sized tarts make beautiful starters for a dinner party, and with prepared puff pastry, they’re simple to make. Nearly any type of blue cheese will work here; we recommend blue d’Auvergne, which is moderately strong in flavor and blends well with a splash of dairy.

Fall is finally here and we couldn't be more excited. Time to break out the jackets and boots! One of my personal favorite things about fall is the variety of flavors, especially apple! Apples pair great with cheeses, especially tart Granny Smith apples and sharp cheddar. I whipped up this easy apple pie with a cheddar cheese crust.

Make sure you use a punchy mature cheese to shine through these savoury scones made with mustard and buttermilk

A croque madame is so much more than a grilled ham and cheese. In signature French fashion, this otherwise humble sandwich is drenched in a decadent, cheesy sauce, then broiled in the oven until bubbling and golden. A fried egg on top is the crowning glory.

Grilling or roasting fresh figs gives them a caramelized, sweet flavor that enhances this classic Italian-style pairing of salty cheese, cured meat and ripe fruit. Serve the figs hot off the grill as a starter, or combine them with a simple arugula salad for a light meal.

A wonderful way to enjoy wild mushrooms is to sauté them with shallots and herbs, toss with tender pasta and crown the dish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. For a final touch, offer chunks of the cheese drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar.

Now as much as we love the classic, we can’t help but get creative with our recipes sometimes. So without further ado, here are three new ways to add a little kick to your queso, plus six of our favorite queso recipes from around the web.

During the cooler months, we like to serve richer, more aged cheeses. Seasonal fruits like figs, pomegranates, grapes, pears and persimmons add a bright and flavorful juiciness to any cheese plate. Pour a Rhone, Rioja, Chianti or other medium-bodied red wine for either plate.

Quiche has come in and out of style over the years, but we think it’s the ultimate brunch dish. A buttery, flaky pastry crust is irresistible, and the possibilities for fillings are endless. Broccoli and cheddar are a universally appealing combination, so this version is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Tidy bundles of pasta and filling are easy to dish out to family and friends. Four different cheeses verges on indulgent, but the goat cheese is essential, adding unique flavor and creamy texture. Save any extra meat filling for another use, or simply tuck it in around the rolls. A big green salad, garlic bread and a dry red wine complete this cool-weather dinner.

Triple-cream cheeses like Explorateur, Delice de Saint-Cyr or Boursault are fantastic when baked. Here, we serve the warm, gooey cheese with fruit soaked in rum, which adds flavor and brings out the tanginess of the cheese. Dried apricots, peaches, pears and nectarines are all delicious in this recipe; you could also try other cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert or Brillat-Savarin.

The subtle crunch of cornmeal gives johnnycakes appealing texture and a bit of heft. Our version, embellished with crisp bits of bacon and sharp cheddar cheese and served with honey or syrup, makes a delightful sweet-and-salty breakfast treat.

Gratins, with their crunchy toppings and oozy interiors, make wonderful fall comfort food. For this creamy dish, we use two French cheeses: ever-versatile Gruyere and an aged Mimolette, a lesser-known orange-hued cow’s milk cheese that shreds easily and melts well. For a simple meal, serve with a green salad and crusty bread; this recipe also makes a welcome accompaniment to roasted meats.

A homemade marinade personalizes cured olives, heightening their appeal. Serve as is, or warm them to release their wonderful aromas. The olives are delicious on their own, but they’re also a welcome addition to a cheese platter for meals and parties. Sheep’s and cow’s milk cheeses from Spain, France and Greece make perfect partners; try Manchego, Cantal, Istara or feta.

The earthy flavors of mushroom, thyme and fontina make this one of the best omelet combinations we’ve found. Serve with thick slices of artisan bread, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and toasted under the broiler.

We're in the thick of football season and there's nothing we love more than kicking back with a bowl full of queso and our friends to watch the games. And while the original queso made with only Ro*tel and Velveeta is pretty great on its own, we came up with a couple of twists inspired by some of our favorite game watching treats.

Build your own press for home cheese-making.

Break out the special-occasion ingredients this time of year. Comforting macaroni and cheese reaches a new level with a drizzle of sumptuous truffle oil. Try baking individual portions in buttered ...

Go beyond the sandwich and try this lusciously creamy cheesecake made with your favorite childhood spread.

A simple, un-fooled-around-with cheese pizza is one of life’s simple pleasures. But, unless you are Macauley Caulkin in Home Alone, one cannot survive on plain cheese pizza alone. We’ve already shown you our best finds in pizza format foolery; now check out these pies, with their unconventional flavor profiles and their genius-level comfort food mash-ups (mac and cheese pizza, anybody?)

Kraft Foods is warning it may run short of its Velveeta cheese product, right at a time of high seasonal U.S. demand for the orangey-yellow foodstuff.

Nutty, gooey Gruyere is even tastier when melted on top of savory roast beef and sweet, fragrant sauteed onion.

Spanish piquillo peppers are traditionally hand-picked, then roasted in wood-fired ovens, peeled and packed into jars or cans. The flavor of wood smoke enhances the distinctive, slight spiciness of...

Cheese is not just food, it’s a variety show. It has fascinated humanity for a long time, inspiring people to refer to it as 'milk’s leap toward immortality' . But the strangest question I have ever been asked is whether you can make cheese from breast milk. And it’s been asked several times.

Would parmesan by any other name be as tasty atop your pasta? A ripening trade battle might put that to the test. As part of trade talks, the European Union wants to ban the use of European names like parmesan, feta and gruyere on cheese made in the United States.

Is the cheese ball reminiscent of something your mom would have pulled out for a potluck years ago? You’re not alone. Cheese balls were totally a thing in the '80s. They've made their rounds, and they’re back and better than ever.

First off, you'll need a great layering technique

North Korea is to send a team of food production experts to France to learn the art of cheese making and improve the quality of dairy products back home, it has been reported.

Refried beans on whole-wheat toast topped with salsa and cheese makes for an easy, hearty breakfast.

A new take on a Southern party food favorite, these deviled eggs are flavored with a creamy pimento cheese mixture.

Mozzarella is the best pizza cheese because it melts, bubbles and browns better than any other cheese, according to a new study published in the August issue of the Journal of Food Science, titled “Qualification of Pizza Baking Properties of Difference Cheese and Their Correlation with Cheese Functionality.”

New FDA restrictions on the levels of harmless bacteria found in imported cheese have effectively banned a number of artisan French cheeses, including Roquefort, Morbier, and Tomme de Savoie. The restricted bacteria already exist in the human stomach, and the banned cheeses have not changed their recipes for years.

As a continent, Europe has got cheesemaking down to a fine art. Whether it's aged Comte from France, Burrata from Italy or Cheddar from our very own gorge in Somerset, pretty much every country has something special and delicious to offer.

With their dense texture and rich flavor, roasted portobello mushrooms make a satisfying vegetarian main course. You can also put the roasted caps between toasted slices of rustic country bread for...