- Send us your favorite holiday appetizer recipe for a shot to win $1,000 and other great prizes.

With the holidays coming up you’re surely planning all of your festivities with family and friends. Food, of course, will be included and French cheese always adds a wealth of flavor and style to any holiday appetizer menu. So why not serve a recipe that features a delicious Ile de France Cheese and send it us for a chance to win $1,000?

Here’s all you need to do:

Send your appetizer recipe instructions along with a picture of your dish and the name of the Ile de France Cheese* it features to contest@iledefrancecheese.com by 6 p.m. Nov. 30 and you’ll be part of our $1,000 Holiday Bash for Cash!

Voting by our site’s visitors on the blog will follow the contest’s entry period to crown the winners.

Recipes must include one or more of the following Ile de France brand cheeses: Brie, Goat Cheese, Camembert and Goat Brie. To view our full contest prizes, rules and regulations click the rules and FAQ link on the right side of this blog.

What is the best cheese to use for holiday appetizers? It depends on the type of holiday dish being served, of course.

For beginning French cheese enthusiasts, Ile de France brie is an excellent choice because it is a universal favorite and can be enjoyed with a wide variety of foods and wines. Brie can be simply a cracker topping or a main part of a complex holiday recipe or spread.

While brie is great, there’s tons of other types of French cheeses that are delicious and make excellent additions to any party. Here’s a few links to our special appetizer recipes and pairing ideas – we hope they can help you plan your upcoming get togethers!

Easy gourmet party recipes

Appetizers with cheese

Wine and cheese pairing tips

If so you’re in for a treat when our new fondue recipes come out next month!

We’ll include all the tips you need to have a chic fondue party and have a great time with your family and friends! Also look for our all new jam and cheese pairing tips next month as well and learn how to turn a simple dab of jam and piece of cheese into a refined gourmet snacking experience.

For all you fondue fans out there, we invite you to add your own tips either in the comments section here at the cheese lovers blog or on our new fondue page when it’s posted at the beginning of next month. So, what is your favorite fondue recipe, presentation, dipping plates, pots, or any other aspect of the cheese fondue experience?

Let us know!

The Cheese Lover’s blog is excited to announce there’s going to be a lot more activity here in the coming months.

With the holidays (and all the fabulous entertaining that goes along with them) fast approaching, we thought that now is the time to ramp up our posts here at the CLB! So, expect more great ideas and tips for entertaining and enjoying cheese.

Please feel free to add suggestions, comments and tips in the comments section!

With a huge thanks to everyone who participated in our recent picture contest, we’d like to announce the winners!

And the awards for prettiest cheese platters in the first ever Ile de France Cheese cheese platter picture contest go to . . . . . . . .

Thanks again to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winners!